The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent hit theatres this weekend, and the movie sees Nicolas Cage playing a version of himself who is hired by a billionaire named Javi (Pedro Pascal) to attend his birthday party. The movie is one giant love letter to Cage and his career, so it’s riddled with references to his films. When it comes to Cage’s filmography, the actor has over 100 acting credits to his name, so it’s hard to narrow down his most essential movies. Before Massive Talent was released, Twitter was debating which Cage movies were required viewing. Cage himself has cited Leaving Las Vegas, Bringing Out the Dead, and Pig as his favorites. However, not all of those films are mentioned in his new movie. If you’re not sure which Cage films to watch before you see The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, you’re in luck, because we compiled a list of every one that’s referenced in the movie.
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Con Air (1997)
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent actually opens with a clip from Con Air. A woman (whose identity will be revealed later) is admiring Cage’s performance in the film when kidnapers infiltrate her home. As if that wasn’t a big enough nod to Con Air, the action movie’s Oscar-nominated song, “How Do I Live” (which has a wild history), plays over the action. Later in the movie, you can spot the famous Con Air bunny in Javi’s Cage shrine.
Joe (2013)
While Joe isn’t referenced directly in Massive Talent, we first see Cage having a lunch meeting with David Gordon Green, the director best known for helming Halloween (2018). Cage is trying to get a role in Green’s new movie, but it wouldn’t be the first time they worked together. Cage starred in Joe in 2013, which was helmed by Green. Originally, Cage wanted the director scene to be with David Lynch.
“I did call David [Lynch] when we were filming Massive Talent because I had hoped he might play the role of the director I was auditioning for, but it was at the height of the concerns with COVID and he didn’t want to leave the house. The result of David Gordon Green however was pitch perfect, and I do hope David Gordon Green does more work as a thespian,” Cage shared in his recent Reddit AMA.
Wild at Heart (1990)
In Massive Talent, Cage is occasionally visited by his evil alter ego “Nicky Cage,” who encourages him to behave more like a movie star and less like an actor. This other version of Cage is rocking a Wild at Heart t-shirt, which is the Lynch film Cage starred in alongside Laura Dern in 1990. While speaking with ComicBook.com, Cage talked about Nicky Cage and revealed the performance was partly based on his 1990 visit to Wogan.
“If you wanna see young Nic Cage, look at my presentation on the Wogan show. When I was promoting Wild at Heart. That guy is irreverent. That guy is arrogant. That guy is obnoxious.” You can watch the Wogan interview here.
The Rock (1996)
The iconic Michael Bay action film has a couple of shout-outs in Cage’s new movie. First, Cage’s fancy flight to Javi’s compound features a TV that plays a scene from The Rock in which Cage yells at Sean Connery, “Cut the chit-chat, a-hole!” Later, Javi’s confidant Gabriela (Alessandra Mastronardi) tries to break the ice with a mopey Cage by asking him about making The Rock. Finally, Javi’s Cage shrine features a couple of nods to the film, including the chemical weapons.
Moonstruck (1987)
Unfortunately, the three-time Academy Award-winning Moonstruck didn’t get a lot of play during Massive Talent, but it was name-dropped by Vivian (Tiffany Haddish). When FBI agents Vivian and Martin (Ike Barinholtz) first see Cage getting off the plane to Javi’s, they start naming some of his movies. In the trailer, they make it seem as though Vivian knows Cage best from The Croods 2. However, she actually refers to Moonstruck first. If you look closely, Cage’s wooden hand from the film is another prop in Javi’s collection.
Face/Off (1997)
Face/Off is one of Cage’s most iconic movies, and it gets referenced in Massive Talent more than any other film. The first mention comes from Martin when Vivian brings up Moonstruck. Later, Javi lists it as his favorite movie of all-time (amazing taste, Javi). As seen in the trailer, Javi also has a life-sized wax figure of Castor Troy, Cage’s Face/Off character. (If you want to get crazy meta, you could also argue that it’s a statue of Sean Archer, John Travolta’s character who Cage plays for the majority of the movie.) Much to the delight of Cage fans everywhere, the famous golden guns from Face/Off end up playing a big role in Massive Talent.
Javi’s collection also includes some slates from various Cage productions, including one from Face/Off.
During his recent Reddit AMA, Cage said he would be open to making a Face/Off 2. He also told ComicBook.com that he has been in talks for a possible sequel.
The Croods: A New Age (2020)
Even though Haddish’s character mentions Moonstruck first, there’s still a surprising amount of love for The Croods 2 (to be fair, it is far superior to the first movie). When she meets Cage, she talks about enjoying the movie with her nephew, and Cage lets out an unenthusiastic brag. “I made that movie with Emma Stone.” In truth, there are a lot of names he could have dropped because both Croods movies have a stacked cast.
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
While Leaving Las Vegas isn’t directly mentioned in Massive Talent, there’s an undeniable nod to the film early on. The moment when Cage sadly plops into Javi’s pool with a drink in hand is very similar to a Leaving Las Vegas scene featuring Cage’s Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic screenwriter who moves to Vegas with the intention of drinking himself to death. Later, you can also see a photo of Cage in Javi’s memorabilia room from the night he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. You can also spot the movie’s screenplay on display.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001)
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is not a Cage movie that comes up often, which isn’t surprising considering it has a 28% critics score and a 50% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (personally, I didn’t hate it). However, it’s especially important to Massive Talent‘s version of Cage, because it’s revealed he met his wife Olivia (Sharon Horgan), a make-up artist, on the set of the period drama. While chatting with Javi about the movie, Cage says it’s “underappreciated for sure.” In his interview with ComicBook.com, Cage cited the Captain Corelli’s Mandolin reference as one of his favorites in Massive Talent.
“Those were all in the script,” Cage explained. “They came in pre-preloaded. Interesting choices. I thought the reference to Captain Corelli’s Mandolin was a good one. Because that movie is underrated and I’m glad this movie gave it some props. I know Penelope [Cruz] was great in that movie. And I’m glad John Madden, I’m sure he’ll be happy the director, so that was nice.”
Guarding Tess (1994)
Another movie we didn’t expect to be so heavily referenced in Massive Talent is Guarding Tess, the comedy that saw Cage as Doug Chesnic, a secret service agent tasked with protecting the extremely difficult former first lady, Tess Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine). At Javi’s birthday party, the billionaire gives an impassioned speech about his relationship with his father and shares a story about how they bonded over Guarding Tess while his dad was dying. He compares himself to Doug and his father to Tess in a hilariously emotional moment. In the next scene, Cage is watching the movie in bed.
Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
While tripping on LSD, a paranoid Javi and Cage try to escape some suspicious-looking people. Javi insists Cage do the driving since he read Cage did his own stunts in Gone in 60 Seconds, which is a true fact Cage recently confirmed in a video with WIRED.
Mandy (2018)
Many previously mentioned films got some extra play thanks to Javi’s giant Cage shrine, but one movie that wasn’t referenced until the memorabilia scene is Mandy. On the shelf, you can spot the chainsaw Cage uses in the 2018 psychedelic horror film by Panos Cosmatos. Cage points it out, and the two men agree the movie was a “masterpiece.” You can also spot the awesome ax from the film.
Raising Arizona (1987)
Raising Arizona was one of Cage’s earlier starring roles and his only collaboration with the Coen Bros. While the movie is never directly referenced, you can spot some memorabilia in the Cage shrine. Javi’s shelf has the diapers Cage’s H.I. McDunnough steals, as well as the stocking mask he wears. One of the slates is also from the movie.
Valley Girl (1983), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), It Could Happen To You (1994), and Lord of War (2005)
We’re grouping these four movies together because they all have blink-and-you-miss-it items in the Cage shrine. Valley Girl, Cage’s first starring role, is one of the slates. You can spot the 1960 prom crown Cage wears in a photo in Peggy Sue Got Married as well as the lottery ticket from It Could Happen To You. The Lord of War screenplay is also on display.
National Treasure (2004)
You can’t have a Cage movie without some nods to the adventure classic, National Treasure. Javi’s Cage room has a National Treasure poster, the torch from the movie, and a copy of the screenplay. However, the references to Ben Gates don’t stop there. Towards the end of the film, Cage says he is unable to run in the shoes Javi gave him, but Javi believes he can since National Treasure‘s The Making of featurette includes Cage doing his own running.
Adaptation (2002)
Adaptation is a bit of a stretch because the movie is never directly mentioned, nor is there any noticeable memorabilia in Javi’s collection. However, Massive Talent has similar themes to Adaptation, and it’s hard to believe that’s just a coincidence. In the Academy Award-winning Spike Jonze film, Cage plays brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman. Charlie is the real-life screenwriter of the film and Donald is a fictional person created for the movie. In fact, he was the first fake person to be nominated for an Academy Award that wasn’t a pseudonym for someone real. Adaptation was also the only movie after Leaving Las Vegas that earned Cage an Oscar nomination. Of course, Cage also plays two versions of himself in Massive Talent.
However, the big connection between the two movies is the fact that the plot of Massive Talent becomes the plot of Javi and Cage’s screenplay, which they eventually make together. Similarly, Cage’s Adaptation character also turns the events of the film into a screenplay.
Finally, one of the trailers for Massive Talent includes The Turtles’ classic song, “Happy Together,” which plays an important role in Adaptation. While this could just be a coincidence, it’s more fun to think of it as an Adaptation deep cut.
The Wicker Man (2006)
Nicolas Cage’s infamous remake of The Wicker Man has become one of the Internet’s favorite jokes, and we applaud Cage for getting in on the fun. At the end of Massive Talent, Cage dons a tarantula-shaped belt buckle and reveals that it was suggested he wear a bee belt instead, which prompted a response of “Not the bees!” This is the famous line Cage screams in the alternate, unrated ending of The Wicker Man, which sees him being forced to wear a wire mesh helmet as bees get poured all over his head. While The Wicker Man is considered one of Cage’s worst films (it has a 15% critics score and a 17% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), it’s still an extremely fun experience that everyone should try out once.
Were there any Nic Cage movies that were referenced in Massive Talent that we missed? Tell us in the comments or share your thoughts in our Cage Community on Twitter.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is now playing in theatres.
