Age of Cage is a fine overview of Nicholas Cage's career. I think it works better for people who have only a passing knowledge of him, because there is not much new ground covered that a fan wouldn't know already. On a positive note, this book is a product of truly unique actors like Cage (and Keanu Reeves) receiving revaluations as of late. This is a positive trend, because the kind of derision that Cage had to deal with should only be meted out to truly artless hacks.

A fine rundown on one of the greatest actors in history. Beyond having a largely correct POV on Nicolas Cage though, there is not much insight to be found.

I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in Nic Cage's movie career or is a fan of his movies. This is not a biography and only lightly goes into his personal life.

As stated, the author hoped this book would serve two purposes. "I wanted to provide a sincere, if clear-eyed and not-uncritical, appreciation of Cage as a unique talent. And I wanted to use his life and work as a lens by which to consider the ways filmmaking has changed over the course of his career." I think he does a very good job with his first purpose and only slightly accomplishes the second. I like what he was trying to do, but he only provide some anecdotal comments and his second purpose could have been better served with more information.

However, I really enjoyed this book. I am now watching or re-watching some of Cage's movies.

Nicolas Cage is one of the most eccentric and unique actors of our time, so I was excited to read this biography. It takes a deep dive into not only Cage’s filmography, but Hollywood and movie production as whole. It was interesting to see how the industry has changed through the lens of Cage’s films. It’s clear that the author loves Cage (maybe hates Eric Stoltz?), is on his side through thick and thin, and through every bad film role the actor takes. To the author, it’s not so much a dumb choice for Cage as it is an opportunity to embrace another side of himself and his career. With this perspective, I’ll be keeping my eye on the Nicolas Cage movies we receive in the years to come. It’s wild to think he’s been a standard for over 40 years, but we’ve still got a lot of career to see.

Interesting look back at a timeline of Nic Cage movies for any movie buff. I was left wondering where I was in life or how I felt about each movie released starring the talented actor. Cage has taken more twists and turns than most assume and this book was a great reminder of such a unique career.

Nick Cage was a household name for me growing up, both in a good and not as good way. On the one hand, National Treasure was one of my favorite childhood movies and one that I still watch and enjoy almost 20 years later. On the other hand, the Wicker Man is one of my least favorite movies of all time, but it's one you love to hate (meme-worthy, if you will. Which is how a lot of millenials see Nick Cage, I think). This biography is really interesting and definitely not dull and bogged down with boring information. Nick Cage is a bit of an eclectic person, and I think this book does a good job of capturing that while going through his film career. I'm not a super Cage fan or anything, but I still found it enjoyable.

I only got through about 50% of my eArc before it expired, but what I read I really enjoyed. I'll definitely pick up a copy when it comes out to finish it and then give a copy to my friend who is a big Cage fan. Thank you so much to netgalley for a free copy in exchange fore an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While the editors of this book need to take a closer look for confusing wording and grammatical errors, this is definitely a diamond in the rough. Never have I read such an un-put-downable work of nonfiction. It never feels like a slog, partially because each chapter focuses on one or a few fascinating snapshots of Nicolas Cage’s career through his films.

I thought I was familiar with most of Nic Cage’s movies, but this book has led me to believe that some of my favorites of his catalog are among the ones I have not seen yet. The evaluation of Cage’s evolution as an actor is deeply researched, and you can tell it comes from the place of someone who is truly a fan of Cage and his work. However, that is not to say this book lacks criticism. Age of Cage truly takes each work in Cage’s filmography at face value—and it’s not afraid to tell you that some of them are bad. Like, really bad. But even the bad movies have a place in the sparkling logical breakdown of Cage’s evolution, and through it, Hollywood’s metamorphosis in the last forty years.

Whether you like Nic Cage or not, if you are a fan of movies, this book is a must-read.

A wonderful book giving details on the life of Nic Cage throughout his very interesting movie career. I think this is a pretty entertaining and comprehensive overview - any casual fan of Cage would enjoy it. He's quite an entertainer, and this book really gave me a different perspective of him. It was well written and even funny at times. I like how it took me through the different eras of Nicolas Cage and left me feeling very impressed. Highly recommend!

I received this ARC of Age of Cage from Henry Holt and Company for a fair and honest review. I would like to thank both Henry Holt and Company and Net Galley for the chance to read this book..This is a book about the life and work of Nicholas Cage. It is well written and well researched. It looks into each of the 4 decades of his professional life and analyzes his film and acting choices. It is fascinating in terms of the breadth of work of the actor. It shows the wide range of films and characters Cage has played. My only criticism is that it is almost too scholarly in approach-the author ( Keith Phipps) states that the only information he used for Cage's personal life was from information found ion the public record. He also did not interview Cage , and the author stated that he did not expect to(the author reached out to Cage's representation but did not receive a reply)..So the information is presented in a very factual way, well written and well thought. To me, however, it was missing something, some spark that allowed the reader to get a glimpse of the man, as well as the actor. All in all , enjoyed this book. There is a very good chronology at the end of Cage's work. Again,thank you for giving me the chance to read this book.

It really puts the actor into perspective when you zoom out and take a look at all that he's accomplished so far. It's been said before, but no one can really accuse Cage of dialing in a performance, unlike many of his peers who've tasted major success and now writhe in DTV features. Cage is a fantastic person to examine, as he's not only elevated everything he's ever been given, but his eccentric persona and meme-able actions both on and off the screen remain captivating. To track his journey from the bottom (as much toward the bottom as a Coppola can get, anyway) to becoming a household name is a neat thing for Phipps to package and present, and I'm among those who are greatly appreciative.

There's some clearing of the air regarding some of Cage's almost-roles, some statements from the man himself through past interviews, and some historical context, to boot. Phipps states that this isn't meant to be a lavish tell-all, but a simple work about the man's on-screen endeavors, and it's a hit in that area. Sensibly, one couldn't write a book about Cage without mentioning his financial woes, but that's only brought up when absolutely necessary.

In killer fashion, Phipps has created a referential and buy-worthy item that's worthy of its subject. It serves to inform/educate anyone who's eager to learn about Nic Cage, while also feeding anyone familiar new nuggets of info.

To top it all off, there's a fantastic filmography at the end that's a more comprehensive and helpful resource than looking it up on IMDB.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the advance read.

If you're a Nicolas Cage fan, this book is definitely a must-read- however, if you're an Uber-fan, that is, one who has read every article already written about the actor, then you might be fine to skip this, as it doesn't (so far as I could tell) contain any primary sourcing. There are some quotes from ancillary people in Cage's career but I got lost as to whether the author had interviewed them or if he was quoting them from another source. As a reporter, I find that attribution is blurrier and blurrier these days. (Not a good thing, btw) So this is more of a retrospective of his career, a rounding up, with a lot of background on the time and place - some of which was quite interesting, such as the state of Hollywood at the time a movie of his was released - ie the rise of the indie, which allowed for Cage to find success in quirkier, non-mainstream fare like Raising Arizona - which today would be relegated to a streaming service.

Other times, this context felt forced - for instance, the year that Cage gets more successful than David Caruso. Or how he takes on Tom Hanks like roles at one point in his career. There was some fun trivia - such as that Cher was a huge fan of his performance in Moonstruck (I had no idea he was so young when he did that role), and even how Kathleen Turner, who has been critical of his nasaly, bizarro turn in Peggy Sue Got Married, did, at the end of the day, appreciate the uniqueness he brought to the role. (Keep in mind Cher and Kathleen Turner were not interviewed.)

All in all, a fun, informative read, especially for those (like me) who weren't super familiar with Cage's oeuvre. But those who are will likely not find much new here. Now excuse me while I go watch some Cage movies....

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Keith Phipps for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Age of Cage: Four Decades of Hollywood through one Singular Career by Keith Phipps was received directly from the publisher snd I chose to review it. Nic Cage, actor and wildman. Odds are everyone has seen Nic on screen, whether you like him or not you probably know who he is. From the days of Nicolas Coppola, through each movie made (over a hundred), this book is everything Cage. Every Cage fan should have a copy of this book and they should buy one for the closet Cage fan.

4 Stars