Wasted potential

Did someone at Disney decided that this movie had to come in at a certain length, whatever the result? IMHO it felt like it should have been at least half an hour longer in order to better explain the back story and deal with Dave's training more thoroughly. As a result I found it difficult to engage with Dave or even care much for him or his girlfriend. Even if Nic Cage was only doing it for the $$$$ in order to pay off his debts he gave an enjoyable performance and I didn't think for once that he felt that the story was beneath him - is there anything that's beneath him at the moment? The movie wasn't bad but it wasn't good and it could have been so much more. Such a shame