The indefinable career of The Retirement Plan actor Nicolas Cage holds a special place in cinema history, marked by the most dynamic roles and performances ranging from over-the-top to remarkably nuanced. Few actors have a similarly massive following built around them, and whenever a new film of his pops up, the central question is not whether the film is good or bad (though he has pulled out some of his best roles ever in recent years). All we need is for Cage to not be phoning it in, and the resulting experience is usually worth struggling through; in the case of The Retirement Plan, his newest role indeed fits that description.
‘The Retirement Plan’ Synopsis
After Ashley gets sucked into a dangerous web of criminals, she turns to her estranged beach bum father (Nicolas Cage) for help. The crime boss (Jackie Earle Haley) and his enforcer (Ron Perlman) quickly find them, but her dad is more capable than expected in this action/comedy.
Cage’s 2023 Resurgence Demonstrates Late-Career Vitality
This last decade found the already controversial actor taking on some of his worst roles of all time due to financial need, sometimes making it through entire films with one scowling expression and flat, uninspired deliveries. Though Cage would likely defend all of his performances, big and small, he only recently broke from this pattern thanks to Mandy, Color Out of Space, and Pig, which critics hailed as some of his finest roles surrounded by competent direction rare for his contemporary output.
Since playing an exaggerated version of himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Cage has used his subsequent filmography to do exciting projects that show he is far from done with his signature acting style. In The Retirement Plan, his characters gets to alternate a heavy scowl with charming bonding moments with his daughter and granddaughter. It rarely comes across as serious in an award-winning sense, adding to an overall experience recognizing Cage’s particular position in the film world.
Nicolas Cage in ‘The Retirement Plan’
A Romp of Mostly Incompetent Action Thrills and Comedy
Though some genuinely good films grace Cage’s filmography, part of the appeal of his movie collection to some is that many are, in fact, very bad. Technically, The Retirement Plan is not a good film, not fully committing to a wholly comical tone due to moments that writer/director Tim Brown intended to be badass. He mostly succeeds in translating the humorous intentions of The Retirement Plan, but half the film sits on the balance between intentionally funny and accidentally so. To returning Cage fans from hot messes like The Wicker Man, that quality should sound familiar.
To its discredit, The Retirement Plan has plenty of failures from every facet. From a look that resembles a TV show budget to its overly complex, undercooked involvement of the U.S. government, this turn from Cage still gives the world geriatric action and a couple of hilarious sequences with unforgettable lines of dialogue. For viewers who laugh at each other when suggesting to watch the new Nicolas Cage movie, you will get just what you wanted from The Retirement Plan.
The Retirement Plan is streaming now on Hulu.
