The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
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A struggling actor finds himself in a bizarre predicament when he teams up with a billionaire fan to navigate a high-stakes situation involving the CIA.
The story
Hollywood actor Nicolas "Nick" Cage is struggling with his career and a fractured relationship with his family while being haunted by a figment of his imagination. After deciding to retire, he accepts a mysterious offer from his agent to travel to Mallorca to meet a billionaire playboy, Javi Gutiérrez. While there, Nick is confronted by CIA agents who suspect Javi is involved in a kidnapping. To navigate the danger, Nick must rely on his acting instincts and his burgeoning bond with Javi, who is a massive fan of his work, as they attempt to navigate the complexities of the situation while trying to stay safe.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Nick Cage, a struggling actor haunted by a younger version of himself named Nicky, travels to Mallorca to meet billionaire Javi Gutiérrez. While they bond over their shared love of cinema, Nick is approached by CIA agents who believe Javi is involved in a kidnapping. Nick agrees to help the CIA while pretending to collaborate with Javi on a film. During a party, they discover Javi's secret stash of memorabilia and decide to make a movie about their relationship. The situation escalates when Javi's cousin, Lucas, a real arms dealer, threatens them both. After a series of mishaps and a confrontation where Nick's family is also caught in the crossfire, Nick and Javi must work together to rescue the kidnapped girl, María Delgado. In the final confrontation, Nick's family is reunited, and the film concludes with Nick and Javi's collaboration being filmed as a movie based on their actual adventures, leading to a reconciliation between Nick and his family.
- First release year
- 2022
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tom Gormican
- Writers
- Tom Gormican · writer; Kevin Etten · writer
- Cast and characters
- Nicolas Cage · Nick Cage; Pedro Pascal · Javi Gutiérrez; Sharon Horgan · Olivia Henson; Ike Barinholtz · Martin Etten; Alessandra Mastronardi · Gabriela Lucchesi; Jacob Scipio · Carlos; Neil Patrick Harris · Richard Fink; Tiffany Haddish · Vivian Etten
- Genres
- action comedy; black comedy; crime action; crime comedy
- Themes
- identity; fame; family reconciliation
- Tone and mood
- humorous; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- metafiction; self-reflexive; action; comedy
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, particularly praising the chemistry between the lead actors.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 52; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 82% · scale: percent · review count: 66% saying they would definitely recommend it
- Production trivia
- The character Nicky is based on the actor's appearance on the talk show Wogan.; The film was originally set to be released on March 19, 2021.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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