"I said put the bunny back in the box."
When I tell people that Nicolas Cage is my favorite actor of all time, they usually don’t
believe me.
This guy?
"Good call, baby doll."
Today, most people associate Cage with films like this…and this one.
I’ll admit that these aren’t really masterpieces.
But people seem to forget that Nic Cage—who is an Academy Award-winner, by the way—has
worked with some of cinema’s finest filmmakers.
Francis Ford Coppola.
The Coen Brothers.
David Lynch.
Brian De Palma.
Martin Scorsese.
Spike Jonze.
Ridley Scott…
Cage sort of gets passed off as…well, a bit of a train wreck, when he is actually
a gifted actor.
What’s fascinating to me is that while Cage is now considered to be this whacky, off-the-wall,
screw-up, there was a time when he was one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood.
So when did all of this happen?
When did Nic Cage transition from Oscar-winner to this…
"He sprouted antlers!
Like a gazelle?
Like an elk!
He landed again!
He ran, ran, ran!
He scored a touchdown!"
Well, a common consensus seems to be that the transformation can be traced back to the
summer of 1997.
Cage starred in two doozies: Con Air and Face/Off.
"You know, I could eat a peach for hours."
For my money, two of the best guilty pleasure movies of all time.
Not only were these two bonkers films released in the same summer, legend has it that Cage
wrapped Con Air and was on set for his first day of Face/Off just 12 hours later—enough
to push any man to his mental limits.
But while Con Air, which is the epitome of ‘90s action flicks, sort of gets all the
credit for Cage’s tipping point, a more notable switch can be traced back to the previous
summer.
Nicolas Cage plus Michael Bay seems like a recipe for the most insane movie ever.
But The Rock is actually rather reserved by comparison.
What’s important about The Rock is that it kicked-off a new genre: the big, ridiculous,
high-concept Nic Cage action genre.
This genre includes a movie about breaking into Alcatraz to rescue hostages from US Marines.
A movie about prisoners overtaking a transport plane that ends with a crash landing on the
Vegas strip.
A movie about Nic Cage swapping faces with John Travolta.
A movie about stealing 60 cars in one night.
While the concepts are all fun premises, Nic Cage is why these movies are so fun to watch.
Because of moments like this—
(Singing) "I’m ready!
Ready for the big ride, baby!"
He cranked up what can only be described as “Nic Cageyness.”
While these movies may not be considered “good films,” they are surely enjoyable.
Nic Cage was fun.
And then this happened—
Nic Cage ventured down the Nic Cage rabbit hole.
Movies where he goes totally bonkers, but aren’t really fun to watch—well, this
one is sort of fun.
And this sort of brings us to where we are today.
The Nic Cage persona.
This “what is he doing” stage.
The “is he out of his mind?”
stage.
While his olderover-the-top roles have a sense of charm and fun to them, these are just….strange.
While this may be the common consensus…as a huge Nic Cage fan, I have to actually disagree.
I don’t think Nic Cage’s transformation can be traced back to a specific point.
I don’t even fully buy into there being a transformation.
This was almost 10 years before Con Air.
He was crazy Nic Cage before the summer of ’97—perhaps even crazier.
I mean, this guy insisted on using real cockroaches.
And this?
This was five years after Con Air.
And guess what…this got him an Oscar nomination.
Making sense of Nic Cage’s career just isn’t going to happen.
And honestly, trying to do so sort of ruins the Nic Cage majesty.
He has made a career out of questionable decisions, and sharp left turns, and going completely
bananas, and most importantly, doing whatever the hell he wants.
And that’s why Nic Cage is my favorite actor of all time.