# What happened to Nicolas Cage **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 22, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343 "2009-03-22T15:58:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/61 "2011-01-07T18:51:58Z")
Nicolas Cage is a actually a very good actor with extremely poor taste. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/62 "2011-01-07T19:10:31Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Nicolas Cage is a actually a very good actor with extremely poor taste. Taste in what? He might have exquisite taste in antique furniture, or modernist art, or vintage cars. And movies like _National Treasure_ and _Face/Off_ and _Con Air_ probably pay him considerably more than movies like _Adaptation_ and _The Weather Man_. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/63 "2011-01-07T19:19:27Z")
I see that today is his 47th birthday—I would have put him at a few years older than that, but I know he supposedly used to run pretty hard, even by Hollywood standards. (Years back, a friend of mine told me she saw him staggering out of a L.A. liquor store at around 8 or 9 in the morning, wearing a torn and bloody shirt. Hopefully he has slowed down since then.) ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/64 "2011-01-07T19:32:35Z")
I loved **Next** because I saw it as a Rifftrax. Recommended! ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/65 "2011-01-07T19:54:15Z")
In all cases Nicolas Cage is playing the exact same character: Nicolas Cage. Some movies need a Nicolas Cage type character, some don’t. When Cage is particularly grating in a movie I blame the casting director. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/66 "2011-01-07T19:58:26Z")
I’ve heard his recent list of movies described as “That one where Cage gets to be a \_\_\_\_.” That one where Cage gets to be a superhero. That one where Cage gets to be another superhero. That one where Cage gets to be in an anime. That one where Cage gets to be a sorceror. He is a giant nerd with the clout to get roles he wants to play. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/67 "2011-01-07T20:02:45Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > In all cases Nicolas Cage is playing the exact same character: Nicolas Cage. Some movies need a Nicolas Cage type character, some don’t. When Cage is particularly grating in a movie I blame the casting director. I mostly agree with this assessment and would add the failure blame on the script as well. Bad casting and bad script trump bad acting in most cases and Cage can usually fake the acting when it’s just a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/68 "2011-01-07T20:07:34Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > He was in one of my favorite movies of 2010, Kick-Ass. Those of you who won’t see a movie because Nick Cage is in it missed out. Yeah, he was excellent in that. I’m not sure that Cage really has that much range as an actor - but what the hell do I know - but he was absolutely perfect for the role and it was one of the few Cage movies I actually liked in a long long time (even though it’s all kinds of messed up). I couldn’t even finish Lord of War. ---
**Author:** ![tingbudong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tingbudong/32/520_2.png) [@tingbudong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tingbudong)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/69 "2011-01-07T20:12:53Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Well and don’t forget he’s having money problems now, right? He may not be “selling out” so much as “desperate to raise some cash.” That is what I assumed. [Looks](http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2010/10/nicolas-cage-broke-on-20-million-a-year.html) like he spends cash faster than Michael Jackson, has absolutely zero money knowledge and owes millions in back taxes. Makes sense that he churns out several dozen crap films a year.. ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/70 "2011-01-07T22:59:12Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > He is a giant nerd with the clout to get roles he wants to play. This is probably a big part of it. This a guy who named his son Kal-El, after all. He always reminds me a bit of Jimmy Stewart. Not directly, but they both give out that nice, slightly-dorky-but-with-a-not-so-subtle-hint-that-he’s-holding-down-some-serious-crazy vibe. He is pretty good at the action movie thing, at least. Looking cool while stepping out of a car as the wind blows your coat behind you is considerably more difficult than one might assume. – Everyone forgot the one where he gets to be John Travolta. I liked that one. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/71 "2011-01-07T23:00:57Z")
> [@Ura-Maru](#): > > Everyone forgot the one where he gets to be John Travolta. I liked that one. Face/Off, a damn fine movie to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/72 "2011-01-08T00:24:47Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > I think everyone’s assumptions are wrong, here. You all seem to be of the belief that he has some requirement to continue being quirky or interesting or something. He’s a professional actor; his requirement is maximizing his personal income from acting and its affiliated endeavors, nothing more. Eh. At some point you have _enough money_, and then the question is, what do you want? What do you want to achieve? What do you want to change? What do you want to be remembered for? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/73 "2011-01-08T00:32:45Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > He was in one of my favorite movies of 2010, Kick-Ass. Those of you who won’t see a movie because Nick Cage is in it missed out. Oh, definitely. A great movie, and he was pretty good in it. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/74 "2011-01-08T00:45:47Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > He was in one of my favorite movies of 2010, Kick-Ass. Those of you who won’t see a movie because Nick Cage is in it missed out. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans, World Trade Centre, and Matchstick Men were all, I thought, pretty good movies. People need to adjust their filter a little beyond “Such and such is in it therefore I will/won’t see it”. It’s pretty simplistic and you end up missing a ton of good movies. That is, of course, unless Paul Walker is in it, then it’ll pretty much be crap. Even with him, Running Scared was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/75 "2011-01-08T01:04:24Z")
Nicolas Cage has been in all kinds of good movies in the latter half of his career. Since 2000: 2000: The Family Man, which was perfectly decent 2001: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which wasn’t all that bad 2002: Adaptation, terrific 2003: Matchstick Men, terrific 2005: Lord of War, fantastic 2005: The Weather Man, not shabby 2006: World Trade Center, pretty good 2007: Grindhouse, funny as hell. Small little role tho 2007: Next, decent popcorn movie. 2010: Kick-Ass, terrific Some of the other stuff I did’t name wasn’t real good, but it wasn’t terrible - National Treasure is stupid, but it’s not really bad. Has he been in some dreck? Yes, he has, and “The Wicker Man” is easily one of the worst movies of the last ten years. But if you look at his IMDB listings, his win-loss ratio isn’t any worse than most actors. Frankly, I don’t understand what the heck people are talking about when they say Cage makes movies worse. Part of it may be that he appears in a lot of films for an actor of his stature. Cage is one of the most prolific Grade-A stars of our time. In the last ten years he has acted in 23 films live, plus three or four voice work films. It’s inevitable he’ll end up in some stinkers. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/76 "2011-01-08T05:51:08Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Eh. At some point you have _enough money_, and then the question is, what do you want? What do you want to achieve? What do you want to change? What do you want to be remembered for? But he _doesn’t_ have enough money, remember? 😃 He probably won’t for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/77 "2011-01-08T05:52:59Z")
> [@drm](#): > > Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans, World Trade Centre, and Matchstick Men were all, I thought, pretty good movies. People need to adjust their filter a little beyond “Such and such is in it therefore I will/won’t see it”. It’s pretty simplistic and you end up missing a ton of good movies. That is, of course, unless Paul Walker is in it, then it’ll pretty much be crap. Even with him, Running Scared was pretty good. Paul Walker was in _Pleasantville_, which was wonderful (although he had only a small role in that). I think he’s gonna be one of those actors who turns to directing or producing someday soon, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/78 "2011-01-08T05:58:44Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > In the old days actors made good money, but they HAD to work. Now an actor like Cage can make millions and sit back and ONLY do films HE likes. He doesn’t HAVE to work. So the choices actors make start to show. They don’t allow themselves to expand or to try new things. You mean like D Hoffman getting 6 million for 5 days of filming the latest Fokker flick? ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/79 "2011-01-08T06:00:45Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Paul Walker was in _Pleasantville_, which was wonderful (although he had only a small role in that). I think he’s gonna be one of those actors who turns to directing or producing someday soon, anyway. You’re right, I’d completely forgotten he was even in pleasantville. I love that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343/80 "2011-01-08T08:55:21Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > These pretty much summarize it for me: > [How To Tell If You’re Watching A Bad Nicolas Cage Movie](http://www.thejay.com/2007/02/09/bad-nicolas-cage-movie/) > [More Signs That You Are Watching A Bad Nicolas Cage Movie](http://www.thejay.com/2007/12/06/bad-nicolas-cage-movie-2/) > > The Coppolas are known for directing some great movies (although only in a narrow career span), but not much for acting. At least Martin Scorsese knows enough to limit the screen time of his nepotistic inpulses to brief cameos…though clearly not enough to avoid [having Nicolas Cage](http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/Bringing-Out-the-Dead) star in his movie. > > Stranger This are such dam wordy articles. Allow me to summerize: If you’re watching a Nicholas Cage movie, there’s an 85% chance you’re watching a bad Nicholas Cage movie. And it’s 50-50 that it’s worse than bad. And if you’re watching _The Wicker Man_, you’re watching a movie so ridiculously bad that it might turn a corner and be good, for the wrong reasons. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nicolas-cage/490343.md?page=5)