We've gotten our first look at Nicolas Cage as John Madden in the upcoming movie Madden, and I'm stoked. Not for the story or subject: I don't care much about football, I honestly haven't played much of the Madden games, and I mostly only know John Madden himself from the TV commercials he did for athlete's foot sprays and hardware stores.
But Nicolas Cage playing him? Oh, I'm in. Day one, first screening. As long as we get the unhinged version of Nicolas Cage, not the serious actor version, that is.
It feels like a toss-up which Cage you'll get when you hire him. It might be a brilliant, layered performance (Leaving Las Vegas, Adaptation, Pig) or an unhinged, scenery-chewing tour-de-what (The Wicker Man, Vampire's Kiss, Face/Off). The question is, which one will show up for Madden?
Well, it's a movie about a football coach who spends four years making a videogame—so of course I'm hoping it will be a batshit crazy performance. Otherwise, it could wind up being as dull as Ben Affleck's sneaker movie.
The problem with making a movie about Madden is his entire career is a series of wins. He never had a losing season with the Raiders, taking them to the playoffs eight times and winning Oakland's first Super Bowl. He had a successful broadcasting career spanning 30 years. He raised millions for the Special Olympics, he funded college scholarships, and he spoke out in favor of making football safer for players. He seemed, quite honestly, like a heck of a nice guy.
Do I want to see a movie about a heck of a nice guy who always wins? Hell, no. I want to see a movie about a ranting, screaming, lurching trainwreck barely clinging to sanity. I demand it. Because Nicolas Cage is playing him.
Considering the third-billed actor in Madden is John Mulaney, playing Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, I assume the main conflict for the movie comes in with the development of the first Madden game. In 1984, EA wanted a football star to put their name on it, but Madden wouldn't just take a check in exchange for his stamp of approval.
Instead, he got his huge, meaty hands on every aspect of the game and insisted it be as accurate as possible, reportedly saying "I'm not putting my name on it if it's not real" when EA tried to cut corners. Involving Madden in the development of John Madden Football (as it was called then) delayed the game for three whole years. Even Bethesda got dragged into the development, and wound up suing EA for millions afterwards. There's your drama!
That's why I'm hoping we get the unhinged Cage for this movie. I don't want to hear him say the line "I'm not putting my name on it if it's not real," while sitting in a boardroom, I want him to scream it with some "Not the bees!" level intensity while he dangles John Mulaney by his ankles off the roof of EA's headquarters. I want him to talk to the game devs with the same tone and expression he used in Vampire's Kiss.
"You have to do it. You have to include the dime defense in the in-game playbook. You have to." I want this to be his weirdest performance yet.
Will it be? Well, Christian Bale is in the movie, too, playing coach Al Davis, and his habit of vulturing awards and nominations for supporting roles (like in The Fighter) might inspire Cage to go big so he's not overshadowed. Madden is also being directed by David O. Russell, known for being a major asshole on set: he almost had a fist-fight with George Clooney, he verbally abused Lily Tomlin, and left Amy Adams "just devastated" on a near-daily basis during American Hustle.
The combo of pushy director and award-hogging co-star might be enough to inspire another batshit performance from Nicolas Cage. I sure hope so. If it's one of those grounded, nuanced, deeply captivating performances Cage pulls off when you least expect it, one that elevates the source material to new levels, one that lingers with you long after the film is over… I'll be downright disappointed.
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