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Pedro Pascal

Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal in a scene from 'Materialists.' Photo courtesy of A24

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Writer-director Celine Song’s feature debut, Past Lives (2024), was an exquisite and near-perfect exploration of the time and space that exist between people, even when they are inches apart. Spanning just over two decades, the film lived in its visceral silences and often awkward but wholly recognizable exchanges. It builds to a painful but tacit triangle, simultaneously satisfying and melancholy. 

Song crafted the film around issues of Korean versus Korean American (or Canadian) culture, discovering what is kept and what must be left behind. Past Lives garnered universal accolades and received over forty well-deserved awards. It received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

From left, Chris Evans, Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal star in ‘Materialists’. Photo courtesy of A24

In her sophomore offering, Materialists, Song tells the story of Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a former actor who now works for Adore, a New York City-based matchmaking service. At the outset, the plot appears simple, with Lucy deciding between her ex, the actor John (Chris Evans), and the wealthy financier, Harry (Pedro Pascal), whom she meets at the wedding of her ninth fruitful match. Harry, the brother of the groom, begins actively courting Lucy, taking her on expensive, high-end dates. Meanwhile, the chance encounter with John, who is a cater-waiter at the wedding, causes Lucy to reflect on her current choices.

The matchmaker-who-can’t-find-love is an old and well-worn trope seen in innumerable rom-coms and television shows. Along with Christmas movies, the clichéd setup ranks high as a Hallmark staple. The idea is generic, much like a painting of a bowl of fruit. But therein lies the difference. A million miles exist between a freshman art student’s first-time rendering and Picasso’s vision—whether realistic or cubist. And the same could be said of Song’s Materialists, a riveting delve into not just marriage but skewed expectations of a modern world.

The story remains basic, but the storytelling is rich, layered, and unflinching. The eloquent Lucy easily sells her work as a blend of fantasy and business. The several sequences in which she negotiates with clients reveal her insight, yet her personal absence from the feelings she keeps suppressed. She promotes the idea that these desperate people seek “a nursing home partner and a grave buddy”—that they want partners for the long run. Whether she believes this or not is a matter that comes in and out of focus. For her and agency, a “successful” marriage reduces to a deal. For herself, she admits that her priority is for a rich man. The fact that she states this almost tongue-in-cheek is even more powerful. (The source of this drive is shown in an ugly breakup scene with John on their fifth anniversary.)

The film is basically three-handed. It follows Lucy’s new romance with Harry and her conflicted feelings for John. What they offer is clearly contrasted with Harry’s twelve-million-dollar penthouse and John’s appalling eight-hundred and fifty-dollar rent-controlled apartment, shared with two roommates, one of whom would put a pig to shame. But the differences are not nearly as simple as that.

While Lucy struggles with her personal path, her client, Sophie, in whom she has invested many hours and setups, is assaulted on a first date. The horrific incident forces Lucy to confront her motivations, complicity, and responsibility. 

Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of A24

Song has constructed a highly literate script, witty and insightful, but allowing the characters to each speak in their own voices. She evokes exceptionally dimensional performances from her three leads. 

Dakota Johnson is flawless in creating someone who is both formidable and fragile, self-deluding and self-aware. She presents herself as a woman who puts on a strong, active front, but is plagued by issues regarding the true meaning of value. She is the heart of the film and never misses a beat. 

Chris Evans’ John is literally and figuratively a mess. Slightly rough around the edges, his John is earnest, genuine, and kind, but the manchild common to those chasing a dream that seems out of reach.

Pedro Pascal makes Harry more than just a foil for the central romance. He brings sweetness and a desire to make the best of his life, even if he is unaware of what he truly wants and needs. A late film revelation only serves to further his unspoken doubts.

Materialists is a more-than-worthy follow-up to Past Lives. Both films are shot in a desaturated world (almost as if light and joy are synonymous); they live in the painful pauses, unusual and erratic rhythms, and the ability to show truth with raw honesty and an occasional splash of humor. Materialists mines the situation, exposing the cynicism but eventually landing on a well-earned note of hope. While not a thriller, Song maintains a breathtaking and unflagging intensity. With Materialists, the filmmaker—the artist—this unique talent—has once again found a tale that will resonate with audiences long after the screen goes black.

Rated R, the film is now playing in local theaters. 

Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

The informal definition of “meta” (according to Merriam-Webster.com) is “showing or suggesting an explicit awareness of itself or oneself as a member of its category: cleverly self-referential.” No term better describes Nicolas Cage’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. And while it is directed by Tom Gormican, from a screenplay by Gormican and Kevin Etten, Cage is the sole reason. 

Nicolas Cage plays Nicolas Cage—or, at least, a version of Cage. Here, he is a larger-than-life star with a larger-than-life ego. It is hard to say whether this reflects or distorts the actual Cage. However, Cage, one of the busiest and most enigmatic actors, offers a delightful “meta” performance.

Nicolas Cage in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate Films

The Cage on display in The Unbearable Weight is an ego-centric star just on the cusp of decline. Frantically pursuing a role, he auditions in front of a restaurant as the director attempts to get into his car. There is more than a whiff of desperation as Cage does everything but beg for the part in the upcoming film.

Driven by fiscal problems (he is in arrears to the tune of $600,000 for the apartment he rents), he agrees to attend the birthday party of billionaire playboy Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal), being held on Javi’s compound in Mallorca, Spain. 

While there, CIA agents Vivian (Tiffany Haddish) and Martin (Ike Barinholtz) approach Cage. They inform him that Javi is an arms dealer who has kidnapped a politician’s daughter to drive him out of an upcoming election. The agents enlist the reluctant Cage to aid with the recovery mission.

The plot veers to Hollywood blockbuster. While initially elements nod towards something heightened and outrageous, in the end it is a buddy comedy between Cage and Pascal. There is an attempt to satirize (at least spoof) the genre, but mostly it lands in safe territory. There are funny moments (the wall scene spoiled by every trailer; a viewing of Paddington 2), but many situations seem forced (an acid-tripping scene; the sedative bit).

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is at its best when delving into Cage’s psyche and simultaneously mammoth and fragile ego. Several times he is confronted by his younger self. Regrettably, there are only three of these moments, and we are left wondering if there were not more that ended up cut because they were (once again) too “meta.” 

Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Cage’s ability to put himself in the crosshairs of his own pretension make for the strongest fodder. He often speaks of his acting process—“nouveau shamanic”—and his desire to make a “character-driven adult film.” He struggles with the difference between actor and movie star, perpetually obsessing over his choices. He is not so much oblivious to his daughter, Addy (Lily Sheen), as his energy is misplaced, mistaking his own likes for sharing. His fractious but not unloving relationship with his estranged wife, Olivia (Sharon Horgan), highlights his inability to look beyond his career. He is where doubt and narcissism implode.

Both Sheen and Horgan give fine, understated performances, but they are minor characters on this broader stage. Neil Patrick Harris appears briefly as Cage’s agent, a character that barely has one dimension. The same is true of Alessandra Mastronardi as Gabriela, Javi’s faithful assistant. Paco León, as Javi’s cousin Lucas, is a by-the-numbers hoodlum. Haddish and Barinholtz hit the right notes but have very little to play.

Pascal makes the perfect fanboy who possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the minutiae of Cage’s career, complete with a trophy room (also spoiled by the trailers). While Javi is eager for Cage to star in the screenplay he has written, the burgeoning bromance drives the character. The plot creaks in fits and starts, and an unfortunate plot twist softens the entire nature of the relationship. But Pascal and Cage have real chemistry and make the more conventional stretches watchable.

The film is an uneasy mix of comedy, abduction thriller, and meta-exploration. If the creators had leaned more into the last (think Being John Malkovich), the result would have been both engaging and surprising. But, in the end, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent delivers an entertaining parody that does not quite live it up to its greater potential. One suspects that they had a bigger concept and lost their way. Or perhaps, they got spooked thinking that just like the discussion of film within the film, something more esoteric would not play to a general audience. Or, even a greater heresy, sell. 

Rated R, the film is now playing in local theaters.