# Nicholas Cage **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2008, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518 "2008-04-23T08:41:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/1 "2008-04-23T08:41:39Z")
Has this person ever made an even half decent film? I watched _Ghost Rider_ last night…what a load of absolute bollocks. When it was finished I wondered if Cage just takes any offer made to him because as sure as eggs are eggs he’s one lousy actor ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/2 "2008-04-23T08:46:52Z")
For a given definition of half decent, sure Now, I’ll be the first to admit I have low standards when it comes to movies, but Nicolas Cage movies I have enjoyed include Leaving Las Vegas Con Air The Rock but of course, YMMV I agree that Ghostrider was pants though. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/3 "2008-04-23T08:54:01Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] Has this person ever made an even half decent film? [/QUOTE] Yes. [Wild At Heart.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100935/) That’s pretty much the only one I can think of. Also it’s Nicolas Cage. No “h.” ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/4 "2008-04-23T09:19:26Z")
Raising Arizona, don’t forget that. Can’t agree with Con Air or The Rock, I’m afraid, but Leaving Las Vegas is so perfect I’m prepared to forgive him any number of terrible action movies. Even Elisabeth Shue is fantastic in the latter; I don’t know what Mike Figgis said to the two of them, but it worked. I view him as a like a slightly higher class of Keanu: a mostly-terrible actor who has nevertheless somehow found a few roles for which he is absolutely perfect. Perhaps it’s something to do with gerunds and western states. Someone pitch a movie called “Anticipating Idaho” and see if he bites. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/5 "2008-04-23T09:25:26Z")
I hate Nicholas Cage in more or less everything except [Adaptation](http://imdb.com/title/tt0268126/) in which he is great. Maybe it’s the sadistic pleasure in seeing him playing a really frustrated sad bastard. Which reminds me; **Leaving Las Vegas** is pretty good too. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/6 "2008-04-23T10:03:41Z")
Loved him in _Birdie_ and a ton of other stuff. A shit movie can rarely be saved by a good actor (Ghost Rider sucked). But he’s a really good actor in the right part. He’s a really strange guy, though. REALLY strange. The whole Elvis thing is just too weird. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/7 "2008-04-23T10:13:15Z")
I’m not a big fan of Nicolas Cage but I did enjoy Matchstick Men. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Them](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Them](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Them)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/8 "2008-04-23T10:34:57Z")
Have to second _Wild at Heart_; Cage and Laura Dern really found their groove there. Also features Willem Dafoe, who knows how to do a great villain. The others? _Meh_ at best. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/9 "2008-04-23T10:55:19Z")
[How to tell if you are watching a bad Nicholas Cage Movie](http://www.thejay.com/2007/02/09/bad-nicolas-cage-movie/) I don’t hate him, but I do agree he is a mediocre talent. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/10 "2008-04-23T11:13:09Z")
I enjoyed _National Treasure_. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/11 "2008-04-23T11:34:09Z")
Yeah, _National Treasure_ is better than it ought to be. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/12 "2008-04-23T11:39:21Z")
I am a sick, sick puppy. I think he’s hot. Very hot. Can’t help it. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/13 "2008-04-23T11:44:54Z")
I can’t imagine anyone else doing for Raising Arizona what Nick did and he was so convincing in Leaving Las Vegas that I absolutely hated the movie in that it was such a painful, horrible situation to witness. As to Ghost Rider though… did you not see the trailer? That thing had GIANT SMELLY SUCKBUS written all over it. ---
**Author:** ![as\_u\_wish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@as\_u\_wish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/as_u_wish)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/14 "2008-04-23T12:04:31Z")
I’m also not sure why Mr. Cage trips my trigger–but he surely does. Average actor, many mediocre movies, but first-rate fantasy fodder. National Treasure and Con Air are re-watchable background movies. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/15 "2008-04-23T12:22:03Z")
I thought he was great in _Valley Girl_, for sure! ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/16 "2008-04-23T12:48:39Z")
How could you not love _Werewolf Women of the SS_? Philistine. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/17 "2008-04-23T12:53:02Z")
I think he’s a pretty decent actor. Aside from the aforementioned _Leaving Las Vegas, Matchstick Men_, and \* Adaptation\*, he also wasn’t bad in _Lord of War_. But I agree, he picks some dumb movies. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/18 "2008-04-23T12:57:13Z")
_Moonstruck_. “I’m no friggin’ monument to justice! I lost my hand! I lost my bride! Johnny has his hand! Johnny has his bride! You want me to take my heartache, put it away and forget?” ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/19 "2008-04-23T13:27:58Z")
He’s not the worst actor by a long shot. He makes movies I enjoy watching, but don’t watch for purposes of enlightenment. I’ll leave \*\*Snake Eyes \*\* or \*\*Gone in 60 Seconds \*\* on the TV while I pay bills or clip coupons. Not every movie needs to have deep intellectual impact. I think part of the appeal is that he’s an unexpected action hero. I thought he did act well in **Birdie** , and later in **Matchstick Men**. Maybe the roles in **Moonstruck** and **Peggy Sue Got Married** weren’t as subtle or refined, but he played them well. His accent in **Con Air** seems completely unnecessary and is at times distracting, but it’s a good movie to fold wash to. And as ridiculous as pretty much everything about it was, I find watching Cage act like Travolta acting like him (and vice versa) in \*\*Face/Off \*\* pretty entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/20 "2008-04-23T13:52:52Z")
**Vampire’s Kiss** was one of the best acting performances I’ve ever seen. The movie wasn’t great, but his acting was. He’s a much better actor than Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks. Hanks, in particular, is an atrocious actor. They just get the better parts. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518.md?page=2)