Movie: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) Caution Spoiler Alert

 The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Came out; 2022

Time; 1 hours 47 minutes

Watched: Amazon

Rating; R for language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and violence

IMDB Rating; 7/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Nicholas Cage as Nick Cage

Pedro Pascal as Javi Gutierrez

Tiffany Haddish as Vivian

Sharon Horgan as Olivia

Paco Leon as Lucas Gutierrez

Neil Patrick Harris as Richard Fink

Lily Mo Sheen as Addy Cage

Alessandra Mastronardi as Gabriela

Demi Moore as Movie Actress Olivia

Anna MacDonald as Movie Actress Addy

Story Line;

The fictionalized version of Nick Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous super fan Javi Gutierrez. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Nick Cage is recruited by a CIA operative Vivian and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones

Thoughts;

This had some good moments but for the most part it was so boring! So much dialog and Nicolas Cage playing himself, it just wasn't there.

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage is struggling with his career after being passed over for several major film roles and is constantly pestered and tormented by "Nicky", who appears to him as his younger (and more successful) self. His relationship with his ex-wife Olivia and daughter Addy is also marred by years of emotional neglect. Following an embarrassing and humiliating event at Addy's birthday party and losing a key film role, Cage plans to retire from acting. He decides to accept a vague offer of $1 million from his agent Richard Fink that involves going to Majorca to meet billionaire playboy Javi Gutierrez and to be the guest of honor at his birthday.

Upon meeting Javi, Cage is initially annoyed by his neediness and insistence that they create an improvisational movie based on a script he wrote, but is soon inspired by Javi's determination, and the two of them quickly bond over their surprisingly shared love of films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Paddington 2 (the latter of which Cage watches for the first time with Javi). Soon after, Cage is confronted by CIA agents Vivian and Martin. They suspect that Javi, who they claim made his fortune through arms dealing, is behind the kidnapping of Maria, the daughter of an anti-crime politician, with the hope that he will drop out of an upcoming election. Despite his insistence otherwise, Cage decides to help the CIA with the mission.

After successfully rigging the cameras in Javi's compound, Cage attends a party where he announces his collaboration with Javi on a new movie, as an excuse to stay on the compound long enough to find Maria. After a misadventure involving LSD, Cage discovers that Javi keeps a shrine room dedicated to all of his movies, including a wax figure of his character Castor Troy from the film Face/Off, complete with identical golden guns. Cage finds it difficult to betray Javi, but Vivian convinces him to work the kidnapping into their script so that he could potentially reveal where Maria is.

Cage explains his new idea to Javi, who believes that Cage is creatively bankrupt, and possibly has issues he needs to work out. Javi brings Olivia and Addy to his villa from Los Angeles; they are frightened and angered over what is happening. Cage tries to make amends with them, but they reject his appeal and accuse him of prioritizing his film career over his family. Javi privately goes to meet with his cousin Lucas, who is revealed to be the true arms dealer and the one who kidnapped Maria. Lucas warns him that Cage is working with the CIA and pressures him to kill Cage, or else Lucas will kill Javi. Cage begins to rethink his friendship.

Cage and Javi have a stand-off with each other, but neither can bring themselves to kill the other. Lucas sends his men after both of them, and they race back to the house to discover that Addy has been kidnapped. Cage takes Javi, Olivia and Javi's assistant Gabriela to the CIA safe house, only for the house to have been compromised; Martin has been killed, while Vivian sacrifices herself to kill Lucas's men before they can ambush the group. With Javi's help, Cage and Olivia pose as a reclusive criminal couple to get close to Lucas. They manage to locate Addy and Maria but are found out. However, Cage, Addy, Maria and Olivia escape while Javi and Gabriela stay behind to distract Lucas.

Cage, Addy, Olivia and Maria race to the American embassy with Lucas still in pursuit. Upon arrival, Lucas holds Cage at gunpoint, but Addy tosses him a knife which Cage uses to kill him-transitioning into the movie that Cage and Javi completed, presumably based on their adventure. Cage is applauded for his new film and congratulates Javi before going home with his family to watch Paddington 2, now with a better relationship.