The Retirement Plan

• Directed and Written by Tim Brown
• September 15, 2023

When hunted by criminals, a woman and her daughter turn to the mother’s estranged father who is now a retired beach bum in the Cayman Islands. All a day in the life of Nicolas Cage.

Some movies work because of a particular actor. Anybody else in the most significant role and it would fall apart. James Earle Jones as the voice of Darth Vader. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine. Here it is Nicolas Cage. Without him as beach-bum-with-a-secret Matt this whole thing would have fallen apart. It is certainly no masterpiece but because of Cage it is good.

The story involves a thumb drive of uncertain contents that the bad guys want and slipped onto the personage of Matt’s granddaughter Sarah (Thalia Campbell). The information on it can make the important powerful. How? Not sure but knowing what it exactly is does not matter to the story. It just gives a reason for the action.

Don’t go in thinking this is a serious movie because you’d be very wrong. Well, it is serious but not deadly serious. More a humorous action thriller than it is anything. It is not too much of a stretch to imagine Cage as an aging beach bum living in a trailer. He really does come off as an odd duck having fun and this would be a good way for him to wind down his life. And given his work in things like Face/Off and The Rock you can believe that this character once was a government agent.

Matt is an absentee father who worked for the government and was forced into retirement after striking a general for something he had going on the side. He’s firmly into his retirement but is a character that is tougher and more capable than he seems. A common trope but one that Cage makes work because he is Nick Cage m**********r!

Ron Perlman is a great actor. His inaction on his claim of knowing the truth about Harvey Weinstein aside the man has some real talent and he shines in this film as mob muscle Bobo that is much more complex and nuanced than appearances would lead one to believe. It makes him rather likable as he bonds with Matt’s granddaughter.

Bobo is a surprisingly engaging character. You really want Bobo to turn from the heel to hero and make it to the end credits but his ultimate disposition fits much better with the story and also carries some real impact. It’s not often you feel bad for a villain dying but here you do even though his death was completely justified.

Jackie Earle Haley plays Bobo’s boss Donnie and Ernie Hudson is Matt’s friend Joseph. Strong cast for all the significant players. Hudson is, well, Hudson but Haley is an annoyed menace as Donnie. You get the real feeling he is a psycho bothered by having to deal with issues that should never have arisen.

Beyond the involvement of Cage, The Retirement Plan works largely because it dives headfirst into oddity but not oddity that undermines anything that’s going on. And this is interspersed with Matt and his daughter Ashley (Ashley Greene) trying to work out their problems. Usually that crap undermines things in any story, but it’s done in such a way that it builds upon their story which is also the main story. He was not absentee or unnecessarily secretive but rather it was all done out of necessity and by the end they have achieved an understanding.

Cage was clearly too old to be a physical threat to anybody. Not that he was ever jacked enough to even fall into that category. While often physically outclassed by even the geriatric Perlman, his character uses surprise and intelligence to aid him. He’s not gonna take on some guy that’s half his age and twice his size easily. Matt separates them or uses his equipment rather than his bare hands. I really hate in film when people are frail or whatever can physically beat someone up with her bare hands. A lucky shot is one thing but kicking ass completely is another.

The major issue I have (and it’s major in comparison to me enjoying everything else) is that the daughter’s husband is largely forgotten by the time the credits roll and we get a more complete picture of what’s all going on. He feels almost like an afterthought even though they-Matt and another character-do acknowledge his death. Ashley though not so much.

I’m also not sure how a potential governor of the state of Florida really finds themselves connected to all this and benefiting from it. That little bit didn’t quite click for me. It’s possible because director/writer Tim Brown just didn’t really explain who Christopher (Rick Fox) was when he was introduced other than him being powerful. And considering his aspirations are to be the governor of Florida it doesn’t seem that somebody so powerful would shoot so low without mentioning aspirations of higher office.

From Ron Perlman to Nicolas Cage to everybody they turn in great performances. And having a cute kid as a significant character is always a big risk. Too often cute kids bring things down, but Sarah is not annoyingly cute but rather intelligent which makes her cute. She’s a dynamic and well-rounded character helmed by an actress with some serious talent for her age. I certainly hope she goes on to bigger and better things. I know one film is a lot to base this off of, but I could certainly see her having a career.

Nicolas Cage has been in some real stinkers. Then again when you screw up your life financially as a celebrity that’s bound to happen. Yet he always manages to be great even if what he’s in is not. He has a unique style that makes even a turd watchable. Mercifully this is not a turd but a gem that passed me by until it was a suggestion on streaming.

The Retirement Plan is a great comedically tinged action film. You will laugh and be excited. I highly recommend it!