Reviews

I don't know how many times I passed this movie before finally watching it and boy am I glad I saw it! Cage and Pascal is a pairing I never would have thought would play so well. If you're in the mood for an action movie, this one has it. A buddy comedy? Check. A drama where characters find themselves and make meaningful changes? Check again.

Cage plays a version of himself, loud and self centered he is hired to attend a party by Pascals character. Pascals character is a HUGE Cage fan while Cage is at first not happy to be "stooping" to attend the party.

They quickly form a very close bond before Cage is contacted by the CIA who let him know his new friend is not what he seems. They recruit Cage to help them find the location of a politicians kidnapped daughter. What follows is hilarious, sometimes touching and consistently funny.

I hadn't seen a decent Nic Cage movie in a very long time but I am glad decided to watch this one. Cage has made over a dozen straight to video movies over the last decade of mostly forgettable garbage. Due to his spending habits and an outstanding tax bill he was forced to take whatever part came his way. All of this is reflected and addressed directly in the movie giving it a wonderful meta quality that only adds to the movies charm.

Pascal plays his character note perfect. From Mandalorian to The Last of Us I was used to seeing the mostly serious side of Pascal. This movie gives him room to stretch his comedy chops and he doesn't disappoint! He should definitely try and do some more comedy movies and I would love to see him team up with Cage again!

It may seem overboard to rate this a 9/10 but when you compare it to the hot garbage Cage has been in over the last decade it seems like a masterpiece.

Maniac follows two strangers, Annie Landsberg (Emma Stone) and Owen Milgram (Jonah Hill) who volunteer to take part in a drug trial that claims will cure them of ALL mental health problems. During the study each participant is given a series of pills which help them explore various corners of their minds to heal by facing (literally)hurried traumas of their past. Stone and Hill both deliver truthful performances of pain and suffering. Over 10 episodes, each character must face the past that haunts them and the pain that hinders them from moving forward.

Cary Joji Fukunaga Directs every episode bringing a steady hand to a story that could have easily fallen apart. Maniac is not easy to characterize but that's okay. I sat down to watch the first episode with little knowledge of what it was about and ended up finishing it in one sitting. This series has something for everyone from comedy, drama, sci-fi and action.

I promise to those who watch it the majority of you will love it.