Here's the trailer for David O. Russell's "Madden," which is expected to hit Prime Video on November 18. It will reportedly play in a handful of theaters the week before for awards eligibility, but who are we kidding?
We see Christian Bale, in full makeup, playing former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, while Nicolas Cage, donning a fat suit, hams it up as football icon John Madden. The rest of the ensemble includes John Mulaney, Kathryn Hahn, Shane Gillis, and Sienna Miller.
It looks ridiculous and parody-like. Cage's fat suit and makeup couldn't be more unsubtle or distracting, and the same goes for his accent, which doesn't match Madden's. Bale fares better; he nails Davis. That said, I'm gleefully ready to enjoy "Madden" for what it is, precisely because it looks so over the top.
Quite honestly, I'll watch just about anything that has Nicolas Cage in it — he remains one of the most interesting, and unpredictable, actors we have. Even when the material is beneath him, he finds a way to make it memorable, and a fat-suited John Madden feels like a role he was born to overplay.
Russell’s film follows Madden's exit from coaching in the NFL and his subsequent partnership with EA Sports to create the pioneering "Madden NFL" video game franchise. It also explores his rivalry with Davis as Madden races against time to develop the ultimate football video game.
As for Bale, well, you can't say he's not loyal. Since 2010, he's starred in four of Russell's movies, not to mention three of Scott Cooper's. He is a well-respected and admired actor who has been in the game since the late '80s. Some of his best performances can be found in "American Psycho," "The Machinist," "The Fighter," "Vice," and "Ford v Ferrari." Once he’s done doing promo, he’ll be starting production on Michael Mann’s “Heat 2.”
Russell is coming off 2022's "Amsterdam," one of the most critically reviled films of his career. Otherwise, he has consistently delivered acclaimed films over his 30-year career, including "Three Kings," "Flirting with Disaster," "The Fighter," "Silver Linings Playbook," and "American Hustle."
"Foreign Correspondent” marks the first time Kleber has publicly put a name to the project. And yes, ‘Secret Agent’ star Wagner Moura is coming back with him. We should have known this would be the case.