Of course Cage commits himself deeply to the role, finding all kinds of comedic and dramatic beats along the way. He's simply hilarious as an over-serious "nouveau shamanic actor" with a profound love of the unexpected. And he finds terrific chemistry with Pascal, who is fabulous as the starstruck Javi discovers that his idol is even more awesome than he expected. Supporting actors have their own sharp edges as they lob terrific jokes from the sidelines, including the reliable Horgan and Haddish.

While the tone is too farcical to build any real suspense, Gormican instead exaggerates everything for laughs. This includes two action sequences that rely on drug-induced wackiness, an amusingly absurd undercover set-piece and a number of crazed shootouts and car chases, all infused with references to Cage's eclectic career. And because we're having so much fun, Gormican even gets away with the emotional stuff, as well as some pointed ribbing about the narcissism any actor needs to have to make it in Hollywood.

themes, language, violence

6.Apr.22

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