Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 13, 2022

Despite evidently not knowing how to spell his last name correctly*, Charlie Kaufman has written some of the most intelligent and audaciously "meta" screenplays in recent, and maybe more than merely recent, memory. Chief among the "meta" offerings would probably be Adaptation., though for purposes of this review it might be best to concentrate on Being John Malkovich, Kaufman's daffy exploration of the psyche and persona of the quirky title "character". I kept hoping The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent might reach Kaufman's admittedly exaggerated heights of layers of reality and fiction, but despite a couple of game attempts, the film never quite gets there. That's not to say that there's not a lot to enjoy in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, including Nicolas Cage (playing "Nick Cage") (verbally) sparring with his younger self courtesy of some cheeky CGI. In my recent Vampire's Kiss Blu-ray review, I perhaps unsurprisingly mentioned that even diehard fans of Cage might not argue too vociferously if confronted with the opinion that Cage can be not particularly subtle in his performance style at times (like, consistently?), but The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent shows Cage must have a sense of humor about himself, though the screenplay by Tom Gormican (who also directed) and Kevin Etten may frankly not fully exploit that inherent asset. That said, the writing's often funny homages to Cage and his filmography are obviously heartfelt, and Cage is, well, nuanced in an obviously fictionalized version of himself that nonetheless requires him to depict certain behavioral foibles which might be termed a "warts and all" approach that less brave (or foolhardy) actors might not even want to attempt.

*Welcome to the Kauf(f)man sense of humor, ladies and germs.

You can almost sense the "ghost" of Charlie Kaufman wafting through parts of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and in fact much as in Being John Malkovich, there's even a "shrine" to the focal actor involved, though this film never is quite able to find a balance between ostensible "reality" and "whimsy". The story begins with a brief vignette documenting a home invasion and assault of someone, though it's not exactly clear who(m) until later (in just one of several uses of Cage's filmography, the victims are watching a Cage movie on television when the attack occurs). Things then segue to good old La-La Land, where an obviously needy Cage is kind of desperately "auditioning" on the fly with a director for a role Cage very much wants. Suffice it to say, he doesn't get it, and after a kind of ugly scene with his (pretend) ex- wife Olivia Henson (Sharon Horgan) and their daughter Addy (Lily Sheen), Cage is forced to accept an offer from his agent, the appropriately named Richard Fink (Neil Patrick Harris, who has had his own flirtation with playing himself in a film), which can pay Cage, deeply in debt, a cool million to appear at some kind of private party in Mallorca (as it's spelled in some informational "location" text).

It's there that Cage "meets cute" (and hilariously) with his host, Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal), whose luxe oceanside estate proves he has enough coin to drop on a "special guest star" appearance by his favorite film idol at a private party, but who perhaps unsurprisingly has show business ambitions of his own. Meanwhile, in a plot that becomes almost ludicrously overwrought even aside and apart from its built in nesting doll conceit, Cage has become an unwitting pawn in a CIA undercover operation that involves two agents, Vivian (Tiffany Haddish) and Martin (Ike Barinholtz). As is overtly discussed in some of the supplements included on this disc, what seems to be an almost awkward dissection of Cage's persona in its first act, then segues into a kind of winking homage to Cage's many action roles with "Cage" in this film suddenly thrust into putative Hero Mode. That also unsurprisingly finally brings in the answer to what exactly was going on in the opening vignette of the film mentioned above.

One of the things about Being John Malkovich was both the absolute absurdity of its premise, but also the rather deft metaphors it explored, not the least of which is puppetry and its at least subliminal connotations of unseen control. What I think might hobble The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is that, as undeniably ridiculous as it is, it tries to hew too closely to a perceived "reality" in terms of presenting an emotionally wounded but still narcissistic Cage in supposedly dramatic family environments while also weaving in more hyperbolic action and comedy elements. It's an absolutely bold attempt in any case, and I can't imagine fans of Cage not being kind of entranced by it all, despite any perceived deficits.

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf wasn't quite as won over by The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent as I was. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists some Arri Alexa models and a 4K DI as relevant data points. This is a really beautifully sharp and well detailed looking transfer, one that benefits from its eventual exotic location, where things like the deep teals of the water and textures on craggy cliffsides offer opportunities for both the palette and detail levels to really strut their stuff. A surplus of close-ups (with occasionally kind of askew framings) also tend to support superior fine detail levels on facial features. The CGI for "Nicky", the young Nick Cage character, is really remarkable, all things considered (and keeping in mind some less than convincing "de-aging" attempts made in some other films), and the "Cage and Cage" sequences are seamless.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent features a Dolby Atmos track that has some standout moments but is perhaps inherently constrained by the fact that this isn't a nonstop array of set pieces designed to provide showy audio. The first part of the film is in fact pretty tamped down even in terms of "traditional" surround activity, though there are certainly noticeable ambient environmental effects populating the side and rear channels. Things tend to only spring into both vertical and horizontal action once a kidnapping plot enters the fray and Cage is forced to become his own Last Action Hero (so to speak). Mark Isham contributes a typically well wrought score that also suffuses the surround channels. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Writer / Director Tom Gormican and Writer Kevin Etten


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 4:53) feature optional Audio Commentary by Writer / Director Tom Gormican and Writer Kevin Etten.


• The Mind (HD; 6:38) refers to what was evidently Nicolas Cage's nickname for Tom Gormican, who is featured here along with co- wrtier Kevin Etten.


• Glimmers of a Bygone Cage (HD; 4:48) once again features Gormican and Etten, along with Cage himself, in a kind of brief tribute piece to the actor. While there is some information here about the CGI used to get "young Cage" in the same frame with "old Cage", I personally wouldn't have minded more in that department.


• Everybody Needs a Javi (HD; 4:21) focuses on the character as a kind of "superfan".


• Nick, Nicky, and Sergio (HD; 4:33) offers some fun insight into "Cage appearing with Cage" in the film, as well as the "undercover" (or at least under latex) character Cage plays late in the film.


• Second Act Action (HD; 6:41) looks at the film's morphing into an action adventure piece in its second act.


• Cages 5 and Up (HD; 2:08) offers some supposed "Nic Cage auditions" featuring some unlikely potential stars.


• SXSW Film Festival Q & A (HD; 15:48) features Gormican and Etten, along with several members of the cast, including Nicolas Cage.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is not the "career suicide" one of its co-creators confesses friends told him it would be when he pitched it to them, and in fact it's often a lot of fun, and should be virtually unmissable for any real diehard fan of Cage. But there are aspects here that seem ill suited to clash up against each other, giving the film a kind of weird, if perhaps appropriate, dissociative quality. Technical merits are first rate, and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.