The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Directed by Tom Gormican, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent follows Nicolas Cage (Nicolas Cage) as he’s hired to appear at a fan’s (Pedro Pascal’s Javi Gutierrez) birthday party on a remote Mediterranean island – with complications ensuing after Cage is recruited by two CIA agents (Tiffany Haddish’s Vivian and Ike Barinholtz’s Martin) to help them take down a vicious mobster. It’s certainly a unique premise that’s employed to erratic yet mostly agreeable effect by Gormican, as the filmmaker, armed with his and Kevin Etten’s screenplay, delivers a briskly-paced endeavor that benefits substantially from Cage’s go-for-broke turn as the over-the-top protagonist, and there’s little doubt, too, that the picture’s persistently watchable vibe is heightened by the rather irresistible chemistry between Cage and Pascal’s respective figures – which does ensure, ultimately, that The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is at its best when focused on Nicolas and Javi’s low-key, lackadaisical exploits. (There is, for example, a terrific (and downright hilarious) interlude wherein both characters freak out after ingesting some LSD.) The film’s above-average atmosphere admittedly does begin to wane as it progresses into its action-packed final stretch, with the third act’s less-than-compelling bent ensuring that the whole thing ultimately ends with more of a whimper than one might’ve anticipated – thus cementing The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent‘s place as a decent-enough comedy that does feel as though it could (and should) be much better.

**1/2 out of ****