My quick rating - 7,1/10. I saw this released and all I could think of was how perfect this idea was. The very much under-appreciated JCVD in which Van Damme did a similar thing was great. And to a lesser extent, Jean Claude Van Johnson. So time to see how Nicolas Cage does with playing himself while getting into trouble. The answer is quite well. Right now I cannot see a better star that is mentally capable and more perfectly aligned with doing a role that pokes obvious fun at himself and his shortcomings after his enormous success (my first choice would be Bruce Willis but it is entirely NOT his fault). The premise is simple yet effective. Cage takes a "role" to appear at a birthday party for some rich billionaire strictly for the money since he has completely floundered all his cash and let his personal life go to crap. In other words, exactly what is going on but dialed up a bit. But along the way, he is recruited by the CIA to spy on a potential drug dealer which he reluctantly goes along with. The sheer potential for comedy gold is tremendous, although I thought they missed many chances. That says a great deal considering how much I still enjoyed this flick. The conversations with himself were well done and a treat for fans of his earlier flix. The story gives enough misdirection to keep it interesting and the action scenes are well shot against a beautiful backdrop in Croatia. Casting was near spot on with a well-rounded group of well-known actors known for comedic touches. I wish they gave Ike Barinholtz more time since his timing as usual was perfect. And I don't think Demi Moore ages. Of course, though, Cage absolutely stole the show throughout regardless of which version of himself he was playing. Just a lot of fun from top to bottom that non-fans will enjoy just as much as big fans such as myself. The film has enough going overall that you won't even realize the 108 minutes have flown by. Definitely, one to check out by clicking the poster below. Finally, a time when I get through my review and feel it is entirely worth it to send you over to Amazon.
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