Nic Cage Meta-Movie ‘The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent’ Premieres To Standing Ovation At SXSW

Early reactions to the Nicolas Cage meta-film The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent are very positive, with it receiving a standing ovation after its world premiere at the South By Southwest Film Festival this weekend.

Written by Kevin Etten and Tom Gormicon and directed by Gormicon, the film also stars, along with, well, Nicolas Cage as himself and a CGI-sculpted younger double Nicky, Pedro Pascal as Javi, a Nic Cage superfan, Sharon Horgan as Cage’s ex-wife, and Lily Sheen as his daughter Addy.

It’s always great when a star is up for a self-skewering part, and early reviews of Cage in this demented action-comedy show that it seemed to turn great results. However, Cage told The Hollywood Reporter that he turned down the role “three or four times,” before signing on. He was convinced when Gormican wrote him a letter that showed “real interest” in the actor’s huge backlog of great film roles.

Film critic Robert Daniels noted the film received a standing ovation in a late tweet Saturday night, adding the response was “well-deserved” and the film proved to be “the ultimate love letter to every portion of him as a thespian.”

In his full review, Daniels praised the film’s writers for delivering a well-paced and self-aware story and the central performances of Cage and Pascal. Pascal has been met with a glowing response in a comedic role that is a shift from his most popular parts. Marya E. Gates for RogerEbert.com said Pascal “is all of us” in the film, and extends his naturally-likable persona into the role of Javi while still providing enough emotional depth to connect to him as more than just a point-of-view figure.

Indiewire said the film “is threading the world’s most ridiculous needle,” with its rollercoaster ride of action comedy and Hollywood meta-references, but ultimately succeeds with a great depiction of friendship and the entertaining world established.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent will open in theaters on April 22, 2022.

Check out the film’s red band trailer here: