# What is your favorite Nicolas Cage movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [May 10, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968 "2026-05-10T16:28:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/42 "2026-05-10T23:28:51Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > _Face/Off_ - Okay, now a contender! Yeah, the premise is unspeakable stupid, but I love how both characters swap roles and manage to do so in an interesting way within the suspension of disbelief. > > * * * Mine is probably _Raising Arizona_ but _Face/Off_ is so over-the-top absurd that I actually kind of love it. Unspeakably stupid is bang on. ---
**Author:** ![stopnonstop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@stopnonstop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stopnonstop)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/43 "2026-05-11T01:22:21Z")
My memory of a Cage movie is when he was filming across from my basement apartment at the Montreal Forum - Face Off (shit movie). Best movie: Wild at Heart Wild at Heart by David Lynch was like Down by Law by Jim Jarmusch in that it was really hard to get a hard copy of the movies, but maybe that’s changed. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/44 "2026-05-11T01:39:20Z")
Next Not a popular movie, but I liked it. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/45 "2026-05-11T01:49:30Z")
Adding another Raising Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/46 "2026-05-11T02:58:22Z")
I forgot that he didn’t have any lines in Ridgemont High. I thought he said “We serve no fries before their time” but I guess that was Judge Reinhold. I also liked him in ‘Rumble Fish’ where he played Smokey, with I think Laurence Fishburne and Matt Dillon. It was very reflective of some of the older kids in my neighborhood. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2026, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/47 "2026-05-11T03:04:14Z")
I haven’t seen many, but I am a very basic movie watcher, so I pick **National Treasure**. I am also looking forward to _Spiderman Noir_ or whatever it’s called. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/48 "2026-05-11T03:12:19Z")
No brainer for me. **Raising Arizona** by far, with **Moonstruck** a strong but distant second place. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/49 "2026-05-11T03:21:36Z")
Raising Arizona - It’s like the Coen’s said “We need to make a movie with Nic Cage as the lead.” So they wrote it, cast him in it, then gave it a tremendous supporting cast who all brought their A game. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/50 "2026-05-11T04:00:33Z")
Another vote for _Raising Arizona_. > [@blondebear](#): > > [Next](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435705/?ref_=fn_i_1) > > Nic can see into the future, but only a little bit. He and Jessica Alba go on a road trip and get chased by terrorists and the FBI. For the record, that was Jessica Biel not Jessica Alba. ---
**Author:** ![cieskokid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cieskokid/32/5374_2.png) [@cieskokid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cieskokid)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/51 "2026-05-11T04:05:27Z")
_Raising Arizona_ is #1 for fun Nic; I saw it in its original run @ a repertory movie theater in downtown Cincinnati & also saw a great actor with an animated spirit in him, especially that voice over he does for Hi’s dream sequence @ the end. #2 for fun is totally _Valley Girl_, dude! But _Wild at Heart_ is Nicolas Cage’s coolest performance, dark but with Sailor’s passion for all of life & shining with his love for Lulu. Throw in Willem Dafoe as the weird & wicked Bobby, a definite cinematic trip in Nic’s filmography. #2 but only because it’s not much fun at all is _Leaving Las Vegas_, a performance that deserved his receiving an Oscar. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/52 "2026-05-11T04:52:07Z")
I think probably Lord of War ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/53 "2026-05-11T05:10:06Z")
_Raising Arizona_ I liked _Kick-Ass_ a lot, but it’s not my favorite of his movies. I’m a bit surprised it hasn’t been mentioned more in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/54 "2026-05-11T14:41:52Z")
Raising Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/55 "2026-05-11T15:16:51Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > I liked _Kick-Ass_ a lot Oh yeah I’d forgotten that one. I’d actually say that’s my favourite. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/56 "2026-05-11T15:27:14Z")
I’m probably _Raising Arizona,_ partly because I’ve never been able to rewatch _Leaving Las Vegas_, which I vaguely remember as a better movie. I watched _Face/Off_ with my 17yo daughter recently, and was giggling through the whole thing. I don’t know if she got what I thought was so funny about this, the pinnacle of over-the-top 20th-century action flicks, but she had fun. I admit a soft spot in my heart for his turn as Dracula in _Renfield_. It was so on-brand for him that I had a great time with it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/57 "2026-05-11T16:36:53Z")
_Raising Arizona_ or _Kick-Ass_ ---
**Author:** ![BomTek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bomtek/32/21364_2.png) [@BomTek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BomTek)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/58 "2026-05-11T16:47:56Z")
_ **Adaptation** _ Runners-up in no particular order: _Kick-Ass_, _Massive Talent_, & _Matchstick Men_ ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/59 "2026-05-11T16:54:54Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > _Valley Girl_. No brainer- applies to my choice _and_ the movie. _Valley Girl_ was the first Nicolas Cage movie that I remember him from, and he didn’t impress me at the time. However, for some reason I just rewatched it recently (hey, I like the movie, I admit it) and his performance is very sweet and smart. For instance, he does this little dance on his girlfriend’s sidewalk after kissing her goodnight that’s so memorable. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/60 "2026-05-11T18:19:28Z")
I’m sure there are others, but one that came to mind was “Renfield.” ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968/61 "2026-05-11T18:21:53Z")
Of the silly Nicholas Cage action romps I’d only consider Con Air. Face Off and The Rock are just not that enjoyable. None of them are in my list of best action movies but Con Air is actually an enjoyable movie, the other two are just dumb and boring movie that can’t be saved by expensive action sequences IMO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-nicolas-cage-movie/1029968.md?page=4)