JASON EVANS' 100-WORD REVIEWS: Massive Talent

Original and entertaining

Film critic Jason Evans has made it his mission to tell you everything you need to know about movies in less time than it takes to reflect on your successes and failures. His reviews are exactly 100 words long (never 99, and 101 would be sinful). Here is his 100-word review of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

The Premise: Nicolas Cage plays a fictionalized version of himself, an actor who was once among the biggest stars in Hollywood but is now taking smaller pictures and sometimes just trying to collect a paycheck to help pay the bills. His agent (Neil Patrick Harris) has lined up a $1 million payday for Nic to attend a party held by Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal of The Mandalorian), a foreign businessman who happens to be a Nic Cage superfan. But, just as Nic and Javi are starting to bond, two CIA agents (Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz) show up with news that Javi is actually an international arms dealer. The CIA wants Nic’s help to rescue a teenaged girl being held at Javi’s compound.

The 100 Words: While it goes a bit over the top at times, Massive Talent is a massively fun action-comedy. Cage dials it up to 11 poking fun at his cinematic history and Hollywood’s star culture. Pedro Pascal does a great job not being overshadowed by Cage’s energetic performance. The script is a riotous mix of adventure and humor with a little sprinkle of honest emotion added in to keep us somewhat grounded. There’s even a young Nic Cage who had me howling with laughter. Massive Talent is an enjoyable watch because you can tell everyone on screen had fun making this film. 

Reach out to Jason Evans on Twitter @JasonDukeEvans