Nicolas Cage is like black licorice. You’re either crazy about it, or it makes you want to throw up. While Nicolas Cage fans make quite the case for why he’s one of the greatest actors and personalities of our time, Nic Cage haters have equally compelling arguments.
Even the Internet is confused:
Today, we’ll examine both sides of the Nic Cage coin.
The folks over at TheShiznit have come up with a whopping 101 reasons why they love Nicolas Cage. I’m not even sure there’s a single person I know that I love for 101 reasons, so I’m curious what’s doing it for them.
Number one on their list:
“Nicolas Cage changed his name from Coppola so people wouldn’t hire him off the back of his famous family, which includes Oscar-winning uncle Francis Ford and grandfather Carmine.”
And you gotta admit, that’s pretty darn respectable. But some less than reputable reasons for their Nic Cage affinity include:
- “Nicolas Cage owns a pyramid tomb in which he plans to be buried.”
- “Nicolas Cage lived in a fake castle outside Los Angeles and toyed with the idea of importing a real one from overseas, before deciding to leave such behaviour to supervillains and the mentally ill.”
- “Nicolas Cage allegedly hired a witch doctor to uncurse the set of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”
- “Nicolas Cage has a tattoo of a monitor lizard wearing a top hat.”
I’m pretty sure those points could be used for the argument against Nicolas Cage, but more on that later.
Nic Cage lovers will argue that his acting abilities are paramount. If you’ve seen Adaptation, you might agree. Cage received an Oscar nod for his portrayal of Charlie and Donald Kaufman.
But if you’ve seen Ghost Rider, you’d scoff. And such is the dichotomy of Nicolas Cage’s likeability. He’s eccentric, yet charming. He’s interesting, yet obsessive. He’s one of the greatest actors of our time, but he sucks.
Contrasting TheShiznit’s list, the folks at Cracked put together their own Nicolas Cage conjecture, and while the writer did express a certain affinity for Cage, overall, the piece was less than flattering.
“the movie he keeps making sucks. I’m sick of seeing it: He’s in a race against time, he needs to get to the truth, nobody believes him, some explosions happen and he’s extremely intense. Also, something will happen at one point that will necessitate his having a flashlight. “
You can’t argue with that. It’s just true. The Internet and movie lovers alike are ripe with examples of Cage’s terrible performances, postulating that he’s simply phoning it in because he’s broke.
Of course, the argument against that is?wouldn’t you? Acting is his job, after all, and while he might be doing a half-assed job of it in National Treasure, he’s gotta pay the bills. Supporters of Cage might also argue that he’s proven his acting ability in the past, so we know he’s not inherently terrible. Plus, he really, really likes Superman.
But where does all of this leave the rest of us? While Nic Cage might be a polarizing force, there are many of us who find ourselves in the gray area, torn between an affinity or hatred for Cage. Are we to love him for his eccentricity? Or do we find his sporadic lack of enthusiasm too confusing?
I’m not sure, friends. But if his IMDB page is any indication, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to decide.