It’s good to see a Nick Cage come back movie, not that he went anywhere. … yea, let’s face it, actors like Nicholas Cage and Bruce Willis, former big A-listers, have been proving lately, that Hollywood is as unforgiving as the American voter. In this mid and post pandemic world, “block buster” has taken on a whole new meaning. The most honest line in this movie is when Nick Cage says that unless one makes a Marvel or Star Wars movie, it can be very hard to draw a crowd (or something to that effect). So True!… I digress. This movie was a welcome surprise. Pedro Pascal and Nicholas Cage onscreen chemistry/bromance(???) was exceptional from the introduction. The film manages to showcase what super star Nicholas Cage once was, while simultaneously minimizing (and perhaps even explaining) the horrible movies he has made over the last several years. It’s important to remember the film is purely fictional, though may not feel it, and thus somehow offers the viewer a fabricated explanation of the cinema swill Cage has been cast in. The film is entertaining, with enough action and humor to keep the viewer engaged. Every moment Pascal and Cage share the screen, is pure gold, and the scenes involving their LSD trip, and shoe-swapping, still manage to bring boisterous laughs. The plot is a bit unclear in the intro, but quickly takes shape, and while the film will certainly not draw the crowd of a Marvel or Star Wars movie, it’s also not meant to. It’s a worthwhile movie with a strong main cast, excluding Lily Sheen of course, (further proof that Hollywood still prefers semi famous parents in place of talent). The supporting cast is good as well, and it’s nice to see Sharon Horgan again since her exceptional performance in the Prime Original series ‘Catastrophe’.
As always, Tiffany Haddish is over the top and once again seems out of place in yet another of her movies, but other supporting actors like Neil Patrick Harris, more than make up for Haddish’s inadequacy.
The film is for anyone remembering the era in which the mere mention of Nicholas Cage in a movie meant blockbuster! It’s also for anyone thinking that Cage is passed his prime, for Pedro Pascal fans (who isn’t?), and for anyone wanting a solid piece of cinematic entertainment rather than the continual plotless eye candy being dumped on us from Hollywood these days. Well worth a $20 purchase if you don’t take it too seriously. Enjoy.