If “60 Minutes” had profiled Nicolas Cage in 2004, they would have been right on time. That was the year he appeared in “National Treasure,” an “Indiana Jones” rip off.
In the 19 years since then, Cage has appeared in dozens of flops, B movies, some so bad they have no rating at all on Rotten Tomatoes, some with Zeroes or single digit ratings from critics. None have been hits, not even “Pig,” which picked up a cult following a couple of years ago.
“60 Minutes” should stay away from showbiz profiles. Cage has been a walking box office disaster for two decades. On tonight’s show, he appeared wearing heavy make up and lipstick. He looked embalmed. He’s been married five times (number 4 was annulled after a couple of days). His first marriage was to eventual Oscar winner Patricia Arquette. His second was to Lisa Marie Presley. Those marriages, plus the three that followed, are more interesting than his movies. “60 Minutes” ignored them. He also has a child named Kal-El, Superman’s real name from Krypton.
Kathleen Turner hated Cage so much from making “Peggy Sue Got Married,” she actually got in a lawsuit with him over things she wrote in a memoir. The movie was directed by Cage’s uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, another fact ignored by “60 Minutes.” Plus, the really juicy stuff– playing Monopoly with real estate, losing massively expensive properties he couldn’t afford– was all glossed over. They also skipped over a 2011 domestic abuse arrest. (As a friend of mine used to say, None of this makes him a bad person!)
Sharyn Alfonsi usually does a respectable job with straight ahead news pieces. She was out of her depth with this one. If she did it thinking Cage’s new movie, “Renfield,” would be a hit, she was wrong. Panned by critics, “Renfield” has made just $13 million in two weeks.
Hats off to whatever publicist pulled off this magic trick. Cage should buy them an island!
