Nic Cage as a...Mentor

'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' currently scores (I promise not to use the word 'conjures' in this piece) a rating in the teens on RottenTomatoes.

Reviews have been tepid at best, featuring comments like this from PlayList:

But you know what? The movie isn't terrible.

It is occasionally groan-worthy, like any gooey scene that Baruchel shares with his love interest, Theresa Palmer, playing another character we initially met as a little kid - these scenes stop the movie dead in its tracks and you could hear the audience squirming.

Marshall Fine thinks 'Knight and Day' was funnier:

Sorcerer doesn't have half the laughs of that film and has visual effects that are garish without being thrilling.

I think some of the laughs in K&D were unintentional, though.

Victoria Alexander at FilmsinReview has a decidedly negative take:

I burned off 2 hours in Hell. This movie is not for kids, it's for toddlers.

Poor reviews aren't the only issue for 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice'. Nicolas Cage has never played characters that could be thought of as father figures or role models for kids. That he plays one in TSA could be problematic.

'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' is rated PG, however the awareness level for Cage isn't all that high among the targeted age group. Cage hasn't starred in kids movies though he has voiced characters in a couple animated movies for children. 'Ghost Rider' was originally planned for an R-rating but ended up a pretty hard PG-13 for teens and adults -- I don't imagine many parents were inclined to take their 12 year old kids. The 'National Treasure' series wasn't really family fare either -- it appealed to teens and adults, though the movies were a bit more kid-friendly.

'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' is for the tween crowd, but it's also probably a little coarse and frenetic for kids younger than twelve. At the same time it's a little silly for parents to want to see. So...a tough sell.

Most kids will want to see 'Inception' along with teens and younger adults, while families might opt for 'The Last Airbender'.

If Cage's track record in movies for younger kids was stronger 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' might have more traction.

To be fair, though, Cage has played a father figure, a character called Big Daddy in 'Kick Ass', an insane ex-cop who, with the help of an 11 year old girl, dresses in a goofy outfit and seeks revenge for being framed and sent to prison -- not exactly wholesome parental guidance.

He played a father in 'Knowing' but the guy was pretty stressed out about the coming end of the world, so that image may not be the strongest role model.

Cage was a suicidal drunk in 'Leaving Las Vegas', drug addicted cop in 'Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans', corrupt cop in 'Snake Eyes', soulless biker in 'Ghost Rider', car thief in 'Gone in Sixty Seconds', arms dealer in 'Lord of War', hitman in 'Bangkok Dangerous', crazy bad guy in 'Face/Off', opportunistic drifter in 'Red Rock West', and an unjustly convicted killer in 'Con Air'.

All in all not too mentorish. I don't think parents are eager to take their toddlers and preteens to see a gnarly wild-eyed Nicolas Cage playing a gnarly wild-eyed magician mentor to a young man in 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice'. While Cage's characters have looked out for people they care about, they haven't been nurturing or what you'd call a guiding light.

I'm not sure Cage can be thought of as a huge draw in any kids movie. Maybe in a few years, but not just yet.