The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a 2022 American action comedy film directed by Tom Gormican, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kevin Etten. It stars Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself, along with a supporting cast including Pedro Pascal, Sharon Horgan, Ike Barinholtz, Alessandra Mastronardi, Jacob Scipio, Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Haddish and Caroline Boulton. The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 12, 2022, and was released in the United States on April 22, 2022, by Lionsgate. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the performances and chemistry of Cage and Pascal, but performed poorly at the box office, grossing only $29.1 million against its $30 million budget.
1m29s
Thank you. Obviously, you've seen mankiewicz's house of strangers. It's one of my all-time favorite movies. That's exactly what your script reminded me of. The power struggle, the fight for relevance. Yeah. Yeah. And you're gonna think this sounds a little crazy, but in some ways, it's king lear. It's king lear. Yeah, exactly. See, I knew you'd understand what I'm trying to do with this film. Right. David, I don't know what to say exactly, except this is the role of a lifetime and I'd really love to be a part of this. Cool, man. I'll just give you a shout in a couple of days. Oh. If you're worried about the Boston accent, I can do the Boston accent. I've been working on it all week. I'm not worried, Nick. Okay, well, if you have any other questions or you just wanna talk, give me a call. Or if you'd like me to, uh... to read... You don't need to read for me. Of course not. And obviously, I'm not going to. Obviously. But I bet a part of you would love to hear me read, right? I mean, why wouldn't you? If I were you, I'd want to hear it. Seriously, I don't want you to read. Okay. Anyway, this is me, so I'm gonna... Well, you know what? I'm gonna read. "It's a foregone conclusion, Jimmy." "It takes 13 milliseconds for the human brain" "to send a message to the body." "So, by the time your bullets hit me, my cerebral cortex" "will have transmitted a signal" "to the 17 healthy muscles" "that operate my trigger finger." "And before your asshole has had a chance to pucker up," "your medulla oblongata" "will be splattered on a fucking wall behind ya." "And if that's the last thing I accomplish" "on this beautiful green earth," "well, then, ha, I say, ha, what a way to fucking go."
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
47.4s
Damn, man! That was good, right? Felt good. Mankiewicz? Whoo-hoo! Incredible pull. I know. It just popped into my head. Well, good. I'm happy for you. Because, honestly, man, you really need this. What? What is that supposed to mean? You get it. This could be a game changer. I don't need a game changer. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, I'll just keep working. That's what I do. I'm just saying, you could be a little more strategic. Make more movie star choices. It's like miles Davis told me... "Sometimes, it's the notes" "you don't play." Miles Davis was a heroin addict. I mean, I love him, he was a maestro, but I'm happy, I'm healthy when I'm working. I'm an actor. No, you're a fucking movie star! And don't you ever forget that! Okay, I don't need this. I don't need this. Get out of my car. Nicky, get out of my car. I don't need this.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
27.7s
I need this. This could be a game changer. So, you're not happy with how your career is going because you seem to be working all the time. Well, I never viewed it as a career, only as work. And what's wrong with that? I mean, in any other job, hard work is something to behold, but with film performance, "you're making too many movies, Nick." "You're working too hard, Nick." "Have the audience miss you more, Nick." I mean, "hello, it's my job." "I pay my bills." "I feed my family. You're annoying." My gosh!
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
1m12s
What? Oh, you don't have to do that. You guys can keep talking. Well, I'll just finish with, a role like this doesn't come along every day. And now, I'm gonna zip it. - I zipped it good. - Addy. How do you think your dad's anxiety over his career has affected you? Well, his career is pretty much the only thing we talk about. That or he makes me watch old movies, and then discuss them. Which is really just him lecturing me for two hours. It's a conversation. It's more of a conversation. He made me watch this bizarre old movie. What was it called? The island of Dr. Calamari? The cabinet of Dr. Caligari. And did you like it, addy? It's one of my favorite films. Have you seen it? No, I have not. It's about this insane old doctor who has a sleepwalker completely under his spell. This crazy old loon. Can you imagine how horrifying that would be? To be completely under someone's spell? And you liked it, right? I mean, you like the painted sets, and the makeup... No, I did not. Sounds to me like maybe she didn't want to see the movie. Did you think about that, Nick? About what she wants? Cheryl, come on. Is that a real question? What do you think he's gonna say? She has an amazing visual sensibility. Always has. We're very close, and within that closeness, I was able to ascertain...
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
38.2s
Oh, no, what happened? Oh, she's mad at me because we watched. Cabinet of Dr. Caligari together and she hated it, which I find odd, given how mature her taste normally is. Wait, you're surprised your teenage daughter didn't wanna watch an insane 100-year-old German film with you? Yes. Oh, my god. Okay. Well, it's not just that. You know, she's never read Mary shelley, or Jane Austen, or even twain. What a little philistine. Should we disown her? She thought Humphrey bogart was a porn star. Yeah... What, really? Yeah. That's disappointing. Unless there is a porn star called Humphrey bogart. That would work, wouldn't it? Humphrey. Hump.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent