“Massive Talent” in the cinema: Sturm und Drang – Kultur

Of course, it would have made sense if Nicolas Cage had simply written this review himself. After all, who on God’s not quite green earth could judge Nicolas Cage in a role as Nicolas Cage better than Nicolas Cage?

But anyway, the man has to pay alimony to four ex-wives, the wedding with the current fifth wife in Las Vegas last year was probably not cheap either. So he has to shoot to make money and can’t also write film reviews. That’s more or less literally his own explanation for the workaholism of recent years: make money, no matter how.

He recently received one reporter of GQ for the interview, in a kung fu suit, and explained that he just had to work his way out of his movie star debt. Cage collected locks, owned what he called “America’s spookiest haunted house” and, after the death of the owner of his favorite pet shop, took in various turtles, among other things. It costs. It is also rumored that one day in the future he will be buried in a white pyramid tomb in New Orleans. Even if you don’t have the current price list for white pyramid tombs in mind – that sounds expensive too.

His daughter thinks Humphrey Bogart is a porn star and doesn’t want to do video nights with daddy

Nicolas Cage was a 1990s superstar, starring in A-league action movies (“The Rock”) and deservedly winning the Oscar for Best Actor (“Leaving Las Vegas”). He is now 58 years old and in the last ten or fifteen years he has shot almost everything that has been offered to him, sometimes six films a year. This career path took him through some fascinating B-Pictures (“Prisoners of the Ghostland”) and some very pretty indie productions beyond Hollywood (“Pig”). He also had a second career as a YouTube star, with snippet videos from his career, and created for Netflix “The History of Swear Words”.

Ultimately, it has become a living total work of art. That’s why director Tom Gormican came up with the idea of ​​making a fictional comedy about the phenomenon Nicolas Cage. Unfortunately, the shortened German distribution title “Massive Talent” does not capture the full level of irony of this project. The original says more poetically: “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”.

The first half of this action comedy is probably quite close to the real Nicolas Cage through the fictional Nicolas Cage, at least in the way you imagine the real Nicolas Cage to be. Among other things, the present-day Nic Cage argues with a digitally rejuvenated version of his former self about his career. The younger me is in his storm and stress phase wearing a “Wild at Heart” shirt. During a drive through Los Angeles, it roars at the worn-out older self from the passenger seat. What stupid decisions have you made, you idiot?! Show them who Nic Cage is! Tell ’em, Nic Cage schmoozes good!

The fictional real Nicolas Cage also has problems in his private life. His fictional teenage daughter absolutely doesn’t want to sit through any of his boring movie nights with him. She thinks Humphrey Bogart is a porn star and hates Daddy’s favorite movie “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”. Why on earth, Cage’s fictitious ex-wife tells him when he complains about it, should the child want to watch a hundred-year-old German silent film?

Unfortunately, the director lets the fictional real Nic Cage stumble into an abstruse gangster story on Mallorca. With shooting scenes that don’t even come close to Cage’s wonderful nineties oeuvre. But if you just leave the cinema after three quarters of an hour to drink a beer to the great Nicolas Cage, you have seen an excellent short film.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, USA 2022 – Director: Tom Gormican. Book: Kevin Etten, Tom Gormican. Camera: Nigel Bluck. Starring: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal. Leonine, 107 minutes. Theatrical release: 16.6. 2022.

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