Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate
The action-comedy has already been dubbed "one of the funniest movies of the year"
Nicolas Cage is receiving high praise for his latest role, in which he plays none other than himself.
In his latest film, "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," the Oscar winner stars as a fictionalized version of himself -- and the action-comedy has earned a rare perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes following its premiere at South by Southwest festival on Saturday.
Early reviews are in for The Unbearable Weight of #MassiveTalent from #SXSW - currently it's #Fresh at 100% on the #Tomatometer, with 12 reviews: https://t.co/szyOLER844 pic.twitter.com/2OIYAvqRZK
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) March 14, 2022 @RottenTomatoes
Although there are currently only 17 early reviews on the site -- and the 100% critics' score may later drop -- it still marks a career-best for Cage as "Unbearable Weight" is the highest-rated movie out of the 170 of the actor's films listed on Rotten Tomatoes, per The Hollywood Reporter.
A handful of Cage's movies are certified fresh (above 60%) on Rotten Tomatoes, with several movies having received a score above 90% on the Tomatometer, including "Pig" (2021) -- which received a 96% score --, "Red Rock West" (1993) -- which scored 97% --, and "Moonstruck" (1987) -- which earned a 94% score. In addition, Cage won an Oscar for his performance in 1995's "Leaving Las Vegas," which has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 91%.
The synopsis for "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," per Lionsgate, reads, "Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictionalized version of Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous superfan (Pedro Pascal). Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative (Tiffany Haddish) and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones. With a career built for this very moment, the seminal award-winning actor must take on the role of a lifetime: Nick Cage."
Indiewire dubbed the film "one of the funniest movies of the year," noting that there is "something for everyone." Variety said the comedy "has a delirious good time poking fun at Nicolas Cage, celebrating everything that makes him Nicolas Cage," while THR described the movie as "a romp aimed at cultists who have sought out the Crazy Cage performances and forgiven the misfires in between." RogerEbert.com said, "The filmmakers pull from every corner of Cage's filmography to craft something transcendent," and Deadline wrote, "Cage is perfect in the role of his life -- literally."
"The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," which hits theaters April 2022, also stars Ike Barinholtz, Sharon Horgan, Neil Patrick Harris, Lily Sheen, Jacob Scipio and Alessandra Mastronardi. Cage also serves as a producer.
