Massive Talent

He is an Oscar winner and has starred in some really big blockbusters. But the days when Nicolas Cage (Nicolas Cage) was a real superstar are over. After disappointments and an embarrassing appearance on her birthday, his daughter doesn't want to know anything more about him, and financially things are anything but rosy for the actor. To make ends meet until his comeback, of which Cage is absolutely convinced, he accepts the offer of billionaire Javier Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal) to perform at a birthday party for a million dollars. But the gig goes quite differently than planned. Because Cage is contacted by the CIA, since Gutierrez is apparently a powerful criminal who is to be put behind bars with the help of the actor. The situation becomes really explosive, however, when superfan Gutierrez also has Cage's ex-wife and daughter flown in. In order not to put them in danger, Cage has to activate all his talent so that he doesn't blow the whistle. But this should not be a problem for a Nicolas Cage...

With "Massive Talent" Nicolas Cage, who in recent years has been seen primarily in smaller B-movies, makes a deliciously self-deprecating return to a wider audience. In this action comedy, he makes fun of his image and his career, but he also makes it clear that he is fully behind all his work - both those for which he has been highly praised by the critics (such as recently for "Pig"), as well as the rather trashy films that he has made in order to be able to pay many an outstanding bill. By playing himself here, Cage makes it clear that he is an actor with heart and soul - regardless of whether his films reach an audience of millions or are only seen by very diehard fans.

Even in the first half, the film works brilliantly as a comedy. However, this is not only due to Nicolas Cage, who even gets to act alongside his younger self here, but also to Pedro Pascal, who delivers a wonderful performance as a superfan and supposed gangster boss. When the two act together - Cage as a celebrity flattered by admiration and Pascal as a nervous fan idolizing his idol - it makes for some of the best and funniest scenes in the film.

In the second half, the humor then fades more and more into the background and the whole thing turns into a decent, but also quite conventional action film, which only shines because it is peppered with allusions to works from the extensive repertoire of Nicholas Cage. However, after the great first half, this comes across as considerably weaker and one wishes that the script had a few more original ideas up its sleeve. It's a shame that this doesn't happen, but it only marginally diminishes the positive overall impression. All in all, "Massive Talent" is simply fun and offers Nicolas Cage the platform to finally show the full range of his skills. The fact that he takes the piss out of himself so wonderfully uninhibited is reason enough to give this film its deserved "Absolutely Worth Seeing"!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp