The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Last night I crossed off another one of my most anticipated movies on my list by seeing The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.  It is hilarious and it was so much fun laughing out loud with a large and boisterous crowd!  Nicolas Cage plays Nick Cage, a fictionalized version of himself who has just lost out on a coveted role of a lifetime and is tormented by a younger version of himself named Nicky (Nicholas Wittman) who bears a striking resemblance to his character in Peggy Sue Got Married.  He also has massive debts and a strained relationship with his sixteen-year-old daughter Addy (Lily Sheen) so, when his agent Richard Fink (Neil Patrick Harris) tells him that an eccentric billionaire named Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal) has offered him $1 million to appear at his birthday party, he accepts.  He flies to Mallorca and soon bonds with Javi after role-playing some of his famous movies and watching Paddington 2.  However, CIA Agents Vivian (Tiffany Haddish) and Martin (Ike Barinholtz) believe that Javi is the leader of a notorious drug cartel responsible for the kidnapping of a politician's daughter (Katrin Vankova).  They recruit Nick and hilarity ensues as he channels all of his action hero characters to spy on Javi.  The plot is a bit nonsensical but it hardly matters because it is so entertaining.  Cage is at his most self-deprecating best (I loved the line about his nouveau shamanic acting style) and he has great chemistry with Pascal, particularly during an LSD-fueled trip around the island and a visit to Javi's shrine to the actor.  I also enjoyed all of the references to Cage's movies, including Con Air, Croods 2, Leaving Las Vegas, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Guarding Tess, The Rock, Gone in 60 Seconds, Mandy, National Treasure, and Face/ Off (there are probably more), because they show what a unique career he has had.  I haven't laughed this much during a movie in a long time so, if you are in the mood for some lighthearted fun, definitely check this out!