So, what I knew going in is that Nic Cage lived out in the Pacific Northwest wilderness with his pig, and then… something bad happened? Probably?

Well, so, it’s not much of a spoiler to say that what happens is that his pig gets stolen. But what happens after that pretty much is all a spoiler, as the movie spends time both in the wilderness and in Portland proper; deals with the criminal underground, and high society; and touches on a couple of weighty themes about loss and purpose and family, where it doesn’t quite know what it wants to say.

And it’s that last that keeps this from being genuinely great. Because there’s a lot to it that’s very good. Cage gives a performance that nobody else could have given, there are some great scenes, the nature shots are lush and verdant, and the city is almost itself a character. It’s a movie that’s a pleasure to watch at almost every point.

But then it just doesn’t quite hang together coherently, in the end. What it reminds me of (in this, and almost no other, respect) is Swiss Army Man, which similarly combined great scenes and acting with a sort of core incoherence.

Still and all, while I’m disappointed that it didn’t quite hit greatness, it’s still a movie worth watching. Recommended.