John Travolta/Nicolas Cage Venn Diagram
One of the things about the current film landscape that perplexes me the most is the conundrums that are John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. They were listed in my top 10 worst things of the 2000s. I’ve written basically a thesis paper on why Travolta sucks. I’ve celebrated Nic Cage as Everyone (I think my favorite is Gandalf). I have no clue why they need so many cars, houses and planes. Nor do I have any clue what’s going on with their hair (plugs?).
Yet, no matter how much I blast them for their overacting and shameful role choices, every once in a while these two remind us of something. They can actually act. Sure, they have to pick a good script that allows them to ham it up, instead of a bad one that allows them to ham it up. But, yeah, it actually has happened.
Here’s a venn diagram depicting when Cage and Travolta go good…and bad. More of the bad, really.
(And since I saw Digg talkback questioning whether this diagram works, the logical relation in the middle is when the crazy over-the-top acting style they share actually works — not movies they were in together!)
Cage should have stopped after “Raising Arizona”. That was the best movie he’s ever been in.
Raising Arizona was a weird movie but I think that or Matchstick Men was his best. Everything else has been god awful. Travolta apexed at Saturday Night Fever (and even that was cheesy as heck).
On Cage’s side lord of war was an excellent movie, as was wicker man, gone in 60 seconds was alright, and ghost rider was good(especially when cage wasn’t cage but the flaming skeleton). Travolta’s swordfish is my favorite heist movie. Those that haven’t seen lord of war or swordfish really should.
@Medisoft – Raising Arizona is Nick Cage’s best movie? If he’d stopped we wouldn’t have the incredible Matchstick Men, as well as Adaptation, a no-brainer for a list of best movies of the decade and, in my books, for of all time. Plus Kick-Ass, which looks good. Instead we’d just have the average/good Raising Arizona, the Coens’ worst movie ever.