# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/21 "2008-04-23T14:26:24Z")
I used to like his work and looked forward to his upcoming movies. But there was a turning point where I thought they became crap. Raising Arizona Wild At Heart Honeymoon In Vegas Leaving Las Vegas The RocK Con Air Face/Off I liked all these but then it seemed to go downhill from there starting maybe with Snake Eyes or 8MM I lost interest at that point. ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/22 "2008-04-23T14:35:31Z")
I like Nicolas Cage fairly well, I’ve enjoyed ConAir, and Face/Off, and Matchstick Men, and even City of Angels. However! I feel it is my duty to caution you all to never ever watch “Next”, which stars Nicolas Cage [AND his hair](http://www.etonline.com/photo/2007/09/31573/400_ncage_next_070924_paramounthomeent.jpg), possibly [in two separate roles](http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2007/startracks/070122/nicolas_cage.jpg). No, seriously, it was that bad. Not enough to distract you from the suckitude of the movie overall, mind. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/23 "2008-04-23T15:09:54Z")
Another vote for _Leaving Las Vegas._ One of those utterly depressing films you find yourself enjoying anyway. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/24 "2008-04-23T15:22:01Z")
Nicholas Cage made quite a few good films: **Peggy Sue Got Married Raising Arizona Moonstruck Honeymoon in Vegas [It Could Happen to You.](http://greatbutforgotten.blogspot.com/2007/12/it-could-happen-to-you-1994.html) Leaving Las Vegas The Rock Adaptation Matchstick Men** **National Treasure** while not a great film, is entertaining. Cage made a conscious decision after years of getting good reviews on films with poor box office to start taking on action hero roles. Many of these are just terrible. He’s much better in his lower profile roles. ---
**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, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/25 "2008-04-23T15:24:24Z")
[QUOTE=JohnT] _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?” [/QUOTE] How could I forget this one? Such a great performance… he carried this movie, in spite of Cher. Two of my favorite scenes: > [@](#): > > They say bread is life. And I bake bread, bread, _bread_. And I sweat and shovel this stinkin’ dough in and out of this hot hole in the wall, and I should be so happy! Huh, sweetie? > > We aren’t here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us! We are here to ruin ourselves and to break our hearts and love the wrong people and **die**. The storybooks are **bullshit**. Now I want you to come upstairs with me and **get** in my bed! ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/26 "2008-04-23T15:26:41Z")
**Con Air** is fantastic. I used to drop everything to watch it whenever it showed on TV. The problem with **Ghost Rider** isn’t that he’s necessarily a bad actor. It’s that he’s a huge comic book geek. I mean, huge. He was a celebrity DJ for a while on an XM radio station to promote the movie and was geeking out all over the place. While that does a lot to ensure faithfulness in plot and details, as Peter Jackson did with Lord of the Rings, it meant that the lead role was being played by a fanboy, and Cage didn’t do a good job of hiding it. He just marked out through the whole movie. ---
**Author:** ![AlmondJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@AlmondJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlmondJoy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/27 "2008-04-23T15:28:45Z")
Valley Girl! his role as Randy is pretty amazing. and Raising Arizona is another good film of his ---
**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, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/28 "2008-04-23T15:57:08Z")
[QUOTE=brujaja] I am a sick, sick puppy. I think he’s hot. Very hot. Can’t help it. [/QUOTE] There’s always one ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/29 "2008-04-23T16:06:17Z")
What the hell? People, people…a little film called _Fast Times at Ridgemont High_, maybe? Sheesh… ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/30 "2008-04-23T16:25:58Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] There’s always one [/QUOTE] Make that two. ---
**Author:** ![Pixilated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aeb1de/32.png) [@Pixilated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixilated)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/31 "2008-04-23T16:28:35Z")
I loved in him the Family Man That’s about the only movie I liked with him in it other than The Weather Man. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/32 "2008-04-23T16:36:38Z")
[QUOTE=phungi] How could I forget this one? Such a great performance… he carried this movie, in spite of Cher. [/QUOTE] And don’t forget Olympia Dukakis, she was also great: “Old man, you give those dogs another piece of my food and I’m gonna kick you 'til you’re dead!” “Do you love him, Loretta?” “Aw, ma, I love him awful.” “Oh, God, that’s too bad.” Cage’s was an overwrought role, but he was great in it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/33 "2008-04-23T16:48:53Z")
**City of Angels** is one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/34 "2008-04-23T17:10:11Z")
Nobody is going to bring up **Lord of War**? It’s one of the best movies ever made. If I went to grad school in film, I’d want to write my thesus about it. For pure so-stupid-it’s-great it’s hard to beat **Con Air** and **National Treasure**. A few weeks ago I was in Yaounde, our national capitol. As I as drinking my beer (trente trois bien glace) one of the people selling pirate VCDs came around. On top was the Nicolas Cage Collection. I coughed up the two dollars and bought it, even though it was in French, my linguistic enemy. Then I got home and discovered it was in English! Maybe the best day ever. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/35 "2008-04-23T17:15:57Z")
Cage movies I dig: raising arizona birdie the rock moonstruck redrock west honeymoon in vegas amos and andrew firebirds (hangs head, it’s really tommy lee jones that I dig in that movie) leaving las vegas? gag, don’t know if it’s just me, but as an actual alcoholic is just don’t ring true to me. ---
**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, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/36 "2008-04-23T17:19:08Z")
[QUOTE=even sven] Nobody is going to bring up **Lord of War**? [/QUOTE] me, post 17 ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/37 "2008-04-23T17:22:33Z")
[QUOTE=Bayard] me, post 17 [/QUOTE] I think we need a new law, along the lines of “If you say ‘why has nobody mentioned X?’, X will always be mentioned a few posts above.” ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/38 "2008-04-23T17:35:48Z")
Cage is often very good when he’s in something “unexpected”. If it’s a “name” movie, it will probably suck. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/39 "2008-04-23T17:46:05Z")
Since **Raising Arizona** is a movie that shines with gemlike perfection, it cannot be that Nicolas Cage completely sucks. He’s not a great actor, but he can be extremely effective in certain roles. I agree I haven’t seen him in anything good in the last decade, though. ---
**Author:** ![Leviosaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Leviosaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leviosaurus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518/40 "2008-04-23T18:41:49Z")
You mean, I’m really the only one who liked Ghost Rider? I mean, it’s a silly movie, sure, but c’mon - it’s _Ghost Rider_. One of the dumbest comic book heroes of all time. There was absolutely no way it was going to be a good movie - nohow nuh uh, not gonna happen. Consider that most motorcycle movies are about the same level as [Torque](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329691/) (which I would nominate as the worst movie of all time.) Then add in ‘[really dumb superhero idea](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081693/)’. Then you’re doing a ‘motorcycle movie with a dumb superhero’ and you really should already know it’s a stinker. Despite that, Ghost Rider is a fun movie all the way through. In terms of context, I’d say that’s a heck of an accomplishment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicholas-cage/446518.md?page=3)