Before I decided to officially begin The World According to Cage journey with all its associated guidelines and disclaimers, I had a simpler aspiration. I just thought I would casually start watching Nicolas Cage movies from the beginning of his career to see how they (and he) evolved over time.

After quick search #1 of the movies credited to Cage on IMDB.com I discovered that he had first appeared in a movie I’d never heard of before called, The Best of Times. Quick search #2 told me that The Best of Times, released in 1986, starred the power-duo of Robin Williams and Kurt Russell, and quick search #3 told me I could stream this likely-not-a-gem on the Roku channel for free (albeit with those super annoying ads).

In the end, free is in my optimal price range, so one night I started it up. My first impressions: The Best of Times was obviously a dated, nostalgia piece about the history of a small California town (Taft) in the 80s, the relationship of two high school buddies grown to adulthood in the town, and the effort to rewrite their destiny by replaying the game that “might have been” against their rival team (Bakersfield).

Robin Williams character, Jack Dundee, was the driving force behind the plot of the movie, as he was the underdog high school football player (i.e. a backup wide receiver) who bobbled and dropped the game-winning pass that would have assured Taft the unlikely championship. Kurt Russell played the star quarterback who put Taft on the map and delivered the pass that should have assured their team victory and himself a prospective career.

Similar to my feelings watching most Robin Williams films, I found myself entertained by his infectious ability to gain consensus through humor, hyped up energy, slightly askew logic, and an undying belief in the possible. This movie was no different, as he enlisted, persuaded, and conned his friend Reno Hightower (Russell), the entire town of Taft, and the his long-gone high school football team to come back home one last time to replay Bakersfield in a rematch so he could (hopefully) rewrite the story.

So that’s what the movie was about in a nutshell, and I’ll go no further to share any plot or character details (for reasons that will become apparent in short order.)

Instead let me run you through my thought process. As I was watching The Best of Times, I thought,

“Huh. I see. So if Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite had his own movie, this would be the basic plot.” A has-been, never-was, gets to prove he could do something if just given the opportunity.

I could almost picture him, Mr. “bet-I-can-throw-a-football-over-them-mountains” reminiscing and wanting the unattainable second chance, just like Robin Williams character. It’s a very mid-life sort of problem, feeling stuck in the present–a victim of fate and failures–being unable to envision any possible future because of the mistakes or miscues of the past. And then suddenly, this eureka moment, where your midlife crises sparks an idea that promises a grand (if improbable) re-do.

But as the storyline progressed, it started getting a little boring for me, I was distracted. I had a specific goal after all for watching it. To see Nicolas Cage in action.

I wondered to myself, “Where does Nicolas Cage come in?” This being his first credited role as an actor, I imagined the part would be insubstantial. Maybe no lines or just a few. I pictured him as one of the other football players on the team. Johnny or Skip, maybe? A brother or a cousin to one of the main characters, perhaps?

But the longer the move plodded along the, wider the Cage-vacuum inside me grew. Where is he? Is he going to show up at all? Will I recognize him? Maybe he’s going to be a mascot, a child, or a blurry-faced stranger!

These were my skeptical thoughts, until I could handle the suspense no longer. I quickly dialed up quicksearch #4 on my phone and much to my horror realized my mistake…

Nicolas Cage does not appear in the movie The Best of Times in 1986. He appears in the TV show The Best of Times in 1981. I had barked up the wrong tree entirely. Call it fate or failure, or some combination of the two; I had just dropped the ball like Jack Dundee in the Tate / Bakersfield championship game. Regardless of the mistake, I was more motivated than ever to pursue Nic Cage’s first movie now. You could say I was just like Jack in wanting that second chance for a first viewing.

But in the end, I did turn off the movie The Best of Times half-way through (who needs all those Astrazeneca ads anyways?) Did Jack redeem himself? Did Reno hit him on a fade route in the back of the endzone? Did Taft find a way to erase the past? I have no idea. And I guess I’ll never know.

And because The Best of Times 1981 (aka featuring Nicolas Coppola) is a TV show, I may not even watch that one. Sigh.

In the language of the great coach, Bill Belichick, after a salty loss, “It’s on to the next one…”

Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

I think?