Nicholas Cage’s career can be divided into four incarnations, some of which overlap. The first incarnation: Between the early 1980s and early 2000s, when he made a name for himself as one of Hollywood’s best character actors, he starred in modern classics such as “Moon-stricken” and “Wild Heart” and won an Oscar for “Leaving Las Vegas.” Even when he appeared in more commercial action films, the result was the elite of the genre, for example “Con Air” and “Frontal Conflict”.
The second incarnation began in the 2000s, and is less pleasant. Cage got into debt, made headlines in negative contexts, committed to various and weird projects solely for the money, and an actor with a standard mark of quality became identified with B and G type films. At some point, with the rise of the internet, came the third incarnation as well: thanks to his meaningful facial expressions he became a star of memes and viral videos, but it is debatable whether these respected or mocked him.
And now comes the fourth incarnation: the comeback phase, in which Cage once again stars in projects worthy of his measure. Earlier this year we saw the fine “Fig”, and this weekend the “unbearable weight of a huge talent” rises – his most talked about and appreciated film for years, including one of the most talked about films of the spring.
The film was directed by the anonymous Tom Gormican, who also co-wrote it with Kevin Atten, and it took him a while to convince Cage to agree to participate in it. One can understand why, since this is a revealing project. The actor plays a version of himself here: a star who lives on the glory of the past, participates in action junkies and suffers from mental problems that cloud his relationship with his ex-wife and teenage daughter. They both can not bear it.
The opportunity for redemption comes thanks to a Latin tycoon, played by Pedro Pascal, who turns out to be a big fan of his. So big that he is willing to pay him a million dollars to attend his party in Mallorca, and then it also turns out that he is interested in collaborating with him on other channels.
This is where the American intelligence agency comes into play. She suspects Cage’s fan is involved in murderous political conspiracies, and seeks to use his new secret man to expose and prevent them. And so, what has always been in the discussion becomes a reality, and the action star finds himself alive within an action movie.
As befits its long name, “The Intolerable Weight of Huge Talent” is several films in one card – a comedy drama about a man in crisis, a satire on Hollywood and an action comedy. Not infrequently, projects that try to combine genres stretch the rope in all directions until it is torn, but this time it works.
As an action thriller, the film is suspenseful, fun and rhythmic. The plot of course is quite unfounded, but reasonably so; As a light-hearted comedy, the film is hilarious; And amidst parody and satire, there are quite a few beautiful sayings here about the connection between what is in front of the camera and what is behind it. Although a nonsense spirit blows from the script, it is clear that it was written by wise men.
Above all, the main virtue of the film is Cage’s acting display. There is a reason why the player has remained relevant for 40 years and despite all the bumps in the road. It has a rare combination of nonchalance and madness, tenderness and roughness. He is sympathetic but also larger than life, flexible but also solid, and he can save the world with his fists but also with his smile.
In interviews with him in recent weeks, Cage was presented with the claim that “the unbearable weight of a huge talent” has been his good job for years. In response, the actor defended himself, claiming that “Pigg” and “Mandy”, for example, also deserve to be considered his big roles. That’s true, of course, and this critical essay perpetuates his status as one of the five greatest American actors of his generation (who are the other four? Let’s not start a fight over that now, but everyone will agree that Joaquin Phoenix is in this parade as well).
“The Unbearable Weight of a Huge Talent” is a cage display of purpose, but also something else. Despite its implication, it is not only a film about talent and the weight that comes with it, but also about love. There are two types of love here, and in both cases it is Platonic, something that cinema usually does not deal with.
First of all, it’s a movie about love between a father and his teenage daughter. Cage’s cinematic daughter is played by Lily Mo Shin, who, incidentally or not, is also attributed in reality – the daughter of actors Michael Shin and Kate in Kinsale. It’s not easy to be a parent, it’s not easy to be a daughter of, and between jokes, the script touches on this complexity in a sensitive way, culminating in charming scenes that also have a wink to those who are proficient and proficient in the list of films ever considered great.
In addition to the relationship between a father and his daughter, the script touches on an even bigger Hollywood taboo – love between one man and another, as it is expressed in the relationship between Cage and his fan. It is a love that has no sexuality, but has a brotherhood and especially intense admiration. Although cinema does not often deal with this issue, it is very relevant. There is no shortage of men who are willing to give their lives for their favorite sports star, for example.
Such admiration also has sickly sides, of course, but the film prefers to focus on its positive sides. He did not come to cloud the spirit, but to lift to the star of the film and to us as well. At the pre-premiere screening where I was, in a hall full to capacity, the audience kept laughing and cheering all the way. This is Cage’s fourth incarnation, and he’s likely to be remembered as the dome of them all.
Avner Shavit is the film critic of Walla!