Expectations were understandably high when it was first revealed Nicolas Cage would be playing a semi-fictionalized version of himself in a high-octane action comedy involving drug cartels, kidnappings, and the CIA, so the most surprising thing about The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent was arguably the fact it managed to live up to the hype.
Comfortably one of the year’s most popular and acclaimed actioners, co-writer and director Tom Gormican’s offbeat buddy caper nabbed a stellar 86 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, even if the lingering effects of the pandemic ensured it flopped at the box office after failing to recoup the $30 million production budget.
It’s been nothing short of a monster on streaming since being made available, though, with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent currently tearing it up on multiple different platforms. As per FlixPatrol, not only is it is a Top 10 hit on Prime Video in 24 countries, but it’s also refusing to let go of its spot on the iTunes, Google Play Movies, and Rakuten rankings, either.
The story is as genius as it is both simple and bonkers, with jobbing actor Nicolas Cage accepting a million-dollar offer to attend an overzealous fan’s birthday party. Once there, the duo become fast friends, right around the same time the federal government opts to recruit the Academy Award winner for a covert operation that ends up placing his family right in the crosshairs of danger.
By the time the credits roll, you’ll be utterly convinced that Nic Cage does smooch real good. Real good indeed.