The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

"CageTastic!"

If there is one movie star capable of playing themselves in a metatextual comedy thriller where that particular star's filmography is a significant part of the story, then there really is only one living actor that could fit the bill. Fortunately director Tom Gornican was able to get him and, after a cinema release earlier this year Lionsgate are now releasing THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT on digital and on all disc formats.

The life and career of actor Nicolas Cage (Nicolas Cage) is in a downward spiral. After his latest audition is unsuccessful and he massively embarrasses himself at his teenaged daughter's birthday party he decides to give up acting. However his agent (Neil Patrick Harris) reminds him that he owes the hotel in which he is currently resident over $600 000 and advises him to take the million dollar offer of superfan Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal) who wants Cage to attend his birthday party. What our hero doesn't know is that, as well as owning a massive collection of Cage memorabilia, Javi may actually be a dangerous gang boss and the CIA have plans to get Cage to help them bring him down.

THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT is frequently funny, more charming than you might expect, and will quite likely be the most meta movie to come out this year, and possibly any year. You can just about see it working as a tale of a fictional film star who gets embroiled in a kidnap plot that ends up like one of his own action films, but the casting of Nicolas Cage (and the volume of movie references we then get as a consequence) is the masterstroke that elevates this, resulting in a unique piece of cinema that works delightfully.

Lionsgate's disc comes with a commentary track from director and co-writer Tom Gornican and co-writer and executive producer Kevin Etten. It makes for good listening, pointing out some of the visual homages to Cage's movies as well as providing behind the scenes stories. There's also a 15 minute SXSW Q&A with Cage resplendent in a Tartan suit he says he's wearing because he loves shortbread. There's 25 minutes' worth of 'Making Of' split over five featurettes that include interviews with Gornican, Etten, Cage and Pascal. Make sure you watch Cages 5 And Up in which small children deliver iconic Cage lines of dialogue, appropriately attired of course. Here's the trailer:

THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT is out from Lionsgate on Digital on Friday 8th July 2022 and on Steelbook, 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on Monday 11th July 2022