The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent 4K 2022

Nicolas Cage, playing a memetic version of himself, an actor named Nick Cage, portraying an even more hyperbolized version of Nicolas Cage in front of millionaire Javi, who has decided to meet his idol at a holiday private party. This meta-matrix is so tightly melded that the line between the real Cage and that mythical demigod that exists in the mind of his huge fanbase is erased in an incredibly natural way. And the point here is not only the self-irony of his career, but also the healthy state of inner equilibrium that the actor has found in the last four years. Remarkably, it is this finding that becomes the main unseen message of the film (apart from the obsession with Paddington 2, of course). "The Unbearable Burden of a Great Talent" doesn't try to be the unbearably boring opus magnum of a big Hollywood actor's career, but looks at the past with warmth while maintaining an optimistic view of the future. Cage isn't "back," he hasn't gone anywhere.

And if the film had been solely a concentration of memes for internal use, it would have crumbled into genzel crumbs in a short time after it began. But at its core, it's as solid a buddy-movie as possible about two out-of-the-box buddies who find themselves needing each other during a difficult time in their lives. Oddly, the memorial film to Nicolas Cage shines with someone other than himself, but Pedro Pascal nails the friendship of the main characters with gold, turning their interaction into something utterly magical. The last time such an organicity in a buddy movie was felt between Tatum and Hill in "Macho and Nerd," and it's been eight years since the sequel, which clearly shows the not-so-fun state of affairs in the sub-genre. The character of Pedro Pascal here seems to be the embodiment of the whole loyal community of Nicolas Cage fans, ready to forgive the actor even the worst roles; not continuously demanding and condemning, but grateful for all the good that his movies gave. That warmth and gradually emerging sincerity between two grown men, with which Nick and Javi's friendship is imbued, is capable of sinking the Arctic ice.

A spoonful of tinge to this barrel of honey is not spared, a very strange couple of CIA agents somehow wedged into the film, looking as foreign and ridiculous as possible. At a certain point it begins to seem that the overall concept will break under the unbearable weight of the huge number of references to Cage's work, but somehow it all keeps working, and you yourself begin to think up some incredible possibilities for the denouement. Like John Travolta showing up at the final showdown, which could be the perfect last piece of this puzzle, Nick Cage suddenly turning into a vampire, or transforming all the events into The Truman Show. It's entirely possible that the thoughts that arise in your head will even prove more interesting than the actual ending, which doesn't negate its strong scripted consistency. The pretend movie doesn't pretend, leaving behind a warm sense of adventure and the warm sunshine of Majorca. Golden Guns and Pedro Pascal's golden warm friendly smile for Hollywood's golden boy.