Another buddy-comedy is climbing the Netflix charts this week, and I couldn't recommend it more.
Earlier this month, "Rush Hour" completely took over the Netflix Top 10. Clearly, Netflix subscribers have a big appetite for this sort of entertainment right now, as Tom Gormican's 2022 effort "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" is quickly finding fresh success on the streaming service.
The movie sees stars Pedro Pascal and Nicolas Cage teaming for an absurd, meta action-comedy caper that makes full use of Cage's meme status among movie fans. And, at the time of writing, it's already become one of the most popular movies on the platform, having claimed the No. 6 spot.
If that's piqued your interest, rest assured: it totally deserves the attention. It's got an awesome lead pair and makes full use of Cage's back catalog and larger-than-life persona to spice the action up. If you're trying to decide whether to stream "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" on Netflix, here's a little bit more info about this silly but seriously satisfying adventure.
What is 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent' about?
"The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" follows a fictionalized, down-on-his-luck version of Nicolas Cage (played by himself). The actor is under financial strain, missing out on acting gigs, and under pressure from a manifestation of his younger self. Oh, and his relationship with his family is not exactly going well either.
Amidst all that chaos, he receives a lucrative invite to Mallorca to be the guest of honor at the birthday party of billionaire playboy, aspiring screenwriter, and Nick Cage superfan, Javi Gutiérrez (Pedro Pascal).
Soon after his arrival, the pair forge a close bond. But when dangerous things come to light, Cage plays the role of a lifetime as he's caught between his new pal and the CIA. Things soon spiral out of control into a wild, action-packed adventure, one that sees the star channeling his best roles to save the day and get back to his loved ones.
In addition to Cage and Pascal, "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" also features Tiffany Haddish, Sharon Horgan, Neil Patrick Harris, Lily Mo Sheen, Ike Barinholtz, Alessandra Mastronardi and Jacob Scipio.
Should you stream 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent' on Netflix?
In a word: yes. "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" is a wildly entertaining romp that will keep you laughing from start to finish
The movie's smartly sketched, goofy fun from the off, full of great gags and laughs, and driven along by excellent turns, from both our meta hero and Pascal's adoring, ever-enthusiastic sidekick.
The chemistry's off the charts and makes the most of our stars' action and comic chops. If you don't love silly comedy, then you might not get swept along for the ride, but if you do, you're in for a treat here, whether you're a die-hard Cage fan or not.
It's not just me who loves "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent", either. At the time of writing, the movie's got an impressive 87% critics' score on the review aggregate site, Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's critical consensus reading: "Smart, funny, and wildly creative, "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" presents Nicolas Cage in peak gonzo form - and he's matched by Pedro Pascal's scene-stealing performance."
IndieWire's Jude Dry proclaimed it "one of the funniest movies of the year" after seeing it at SXSW 2022, writing: "Depending on your taste, the idea of Nicolas Cage playing himself either sounds like a self-indulgent disaster or the most fun you’ve had at a movie in years. Fortunately, even the most Cage-ambivalent will have to admit “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” is solidly the latter."
Reviewing for Variety, Owen Gleiberman summed "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" up as: "a commercial comedy that has "a delirious good time poking fun at Nicolas Cage, celebrating everything that makes him Nicolas Cage — and, in the end, actually becoming a Nicolas Cage movie, which turns out to be both a cheesy thing and a special thing."
At Vulture, critic Bilge Ebiri said: "In its broad strokes, "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" is a fairly by-the-numbers action comedy, one that sometimes wears Cage’s presence like a talisman against the bad juju of slipshod storytelling. But the talisman works because the film never loses sight of its touchingly nutty premise and because Cage remains a compelling actor."
Fellow viewers have also found a lot to like here; the movie's got that same 87% rating on the Popcornmeter, from well over 500 reviews, with fans calling it "absolutely hilarious", "extraordinary" and "the best bromance comedy I've seen in a long time".
In short, I'd highly recommend you stream "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" on Netflix ASAP. But if you're not sure it's for you and you still need help finding something new to watch, we can still help. For tons more streaming recommendations, check out our guides to the best Netflix action movies or best Netflix comedies you can watch right now.
