How Does Nicolas Cage Keep Getting Work?

This is truly a question I wonder every time I see a new trailer coming out with Cage in it. He’s really… not a good actor, and I really wonder why people keep getting him to star in their movies.

He just acts so hard in every role that he plays that it’s hard to take him seriously in anything he does. His concentration and intensity brings comedy to roles that shouldn’t be funny, which consequently takes away from the situation he’s in. Also, he continually chooses the worst movies to act in. Next and Knowing… need I say more?

To be honest, I haven’t seen Knowing, and I may never actually see it. I really loved director Alex Proyas’s Dark City, so I think this movie could have potential. However, with Cage in the leading role, it’d take a lot for me to sit down and watch it. Next, on the other hand, is another story. I guess it was “cool” to most people, but I didn’t enjoy it. It was… whatever. Nothing exciting.

There are roles that Cage has played that I’ve enjoyed him in. Four, to be exact. (Maybe five, but I’m still not sure if I like Raising Arizona, so I’ll exclude that for now. Consider it an Honorable Mention in the Nic Cage Career Achievement section.) Here are those four movies / roles:

1. Wild at Heart – Cage was good in this, but I didn’t watch it for him. I watched it because it’s a David Lynch movie. I’ve only seen this movie once (and it was a little over a year ago), so I don’t know if I actually liked Cage in the role or just didn’t hate him. I guess either way, I win because, really, I don’t have to deal with a subpar performance.

2. Adaptation. – Again, it’s not a movie I watched for Cage (it was a Charlie Kaufman masterpiece). He’s lovable in this role (which is great!) mostly because he kind of makes fun of himself throughout. He’s also not acting really hard and is more relaxed, which is a relief. (As a side note, Cage plays two roles in the movie, which adds into the lovable nature and self-deprecation of his roles.)

3. Matchstick Men – Again, I’ve only seen it once (and it was months before I saw Wild at Heart, so to say I really remember the role would be kind of a lie). However, the movie is enjoyable and I don’t remember thinking at any time, ‘Hey it’s Nic Cage up to his old shenanigans again.’ Which is a good thing.

4. Grindhouse (more specifically, Werewolf Women of the S.S.) – BEST. ROLE. His five second cameo in the trailer was the best five seconds of his acting career. If this movie was made, and if he played Fu Manchu as well throughout as he did in the trailer, he would become likeable in my book. Too bad it’ll probably never get made.