I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a while. Nicolas Cage stars as himself, a National Treasure. A man who makes a lot of movies, but we find out he isn’t The Family Man he once was. While his daughter is thankfully not a Valley Girl, she’s someone who clearly needs the presence of both her Mom and Dad. But every time Nic does show up in his daughter’s life, he finds work and is Gone in 60 Seconds. But things change when Nic Cage accepts an offer to go attend a birthday party for a wealthy man at The Rock that houses his estate. After flying Con Air, they bond by watching a movie (all though it wasn’t filmed in 8mm) and they take drugs created by a Color Out of Space. But then suddenly, Nic is recruited by the CIA and becomes and Army of One to spy on his new friend who might be behind a kidnapping plot. This leads to an intense Face/Off that also requires Nic to Drive Angry and Kick-Ass. And then Nic Cage has to become a real hero, escaping the wrath of a master criminal while making sure no one he cares about gets Left Behind. Also, he starred in Ghost Rider.

Now that we got that mess of a paragraph out of the way, let’s talk about this movie. I always find it amusing when actors play fictional version of themselves. Neil Patrick Harris playing a version of himself in the Harold & Kumar movie was probably the highlight of that movie. But Nicolas Case playing himself…my mind is still trying to process the insanity a performance like that can create. And this doesn’t disappoint. There’s a lot about him that does feel truly authentic to how he is in real life. Including some version of how the internet views him. But this movie also uses that perception of him to create an emotional arc for Cage in the film. That being how him always working has created conflict with his family, especially his daughter. And that is properly focused on and given some resolution that feels fulfilling.

And while that is good, that’s not really what this movie is about. Nicolas Cage is an actor everyone knows and loves. A wide variety of people were in the theater that I was in when I saw this movie. And that should go to show that this movie is a celebration of the actor and his work. This movie doesn’t make fun of him in a mean way or discredit any of his movies. In fact, it actually puts a brief spotlight on a couple of his films that I don’t think many people even recognize. Cage gets to show us the many reasons why so many people love him. His comedic timing, his dramatic expressions, his action skills, and so on. The movie itself is a blend of several different types of Cage films. But when we get to the action focused third act and climax, it does actually feel organic and not a drastic tonal shift.

The movie is well shot, has solid pacing. Many of the supporting actors are good in this movie. Honestly, the only other thing I feel like I can expand on is Pedro Pascal’s character. I totally believe him as this Nic Cage super fan that truly loves his work. He gets both nervous and excited to actually meet him and spend time with his favorite actor. And the two of them end up developing this touching friendship that does become the heart of this movie. I think he might even be a stand in for everyone who is a fan of Nicolas Cage based on some of the lines he says in the film.

I know it seems like I didn’t really do a lot to analyze the film. That might be because I know a lot of reviews for this film are basically saying the same things I am. But trust me – this movie is funny, exciting, engaging, and filled with genuine heart. Every fan of Nicolas Cage is going to see this regardless. Even if you haven’t seen a lot of Cage films prior to this, I have no doubt this will encourage to dive deep into the actor’s filmography. Let’s just all appreciate this actor and watch him does what he does best – be himself.