Dream Scenario (2023)

​“Dream Scenario” stars Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Dylan Gelula, and Dylan Baker. Released on November 10, 2023, the film has a biology professor discovering he’s been appearing in people’s dreams.

The film was written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, known for directing “DRIB” and “Sick of Myself”. Dreams are gateways to one’s wildest imaginations. Most of them lead people to create inspiring and creative ideas, while others are so bizarre and unpredictable that they wonder what the heck is going on in their brains while they sleep. However, none of those dreams is as weird as sharing the same one involving the one stranger as everyone else. If that stranger happens to be Nicolas Cage, you should consider yourself lucky. I know that I’m supposed to get into the holiday season at this point, but A24 was like, “Hey! We got a new original movie out this weekend. Please watch it.” Considering my immense appreciation for the studio, more so now than the other greedy modern distributors, how could I say no to that request? Plus, it’s got Nicolas Cage invading people’s minds, which is enough to grab my attention. The question now is whether this bizarre idea makes its dream of maintaining A24’s winning streak a reality. Let’s find out.

The story follows Paul Matthews (Cage), a mild-mannered professor living with his wife Janet (Nicholson) and their daughters Hannah (Jessica Clement) and Sophie (Lily Bird). One day, he comes across his ex-girlfriend Claire (Marnie McPhail), a journalist who tells him he’s constantly appearing in her dreams. After agreeing to let Claire write about her occurrences, Paul discovers that hundreds of people have been dreaming about him, although he appears as a passive and emotionless bystander. As Paul revels in the strange, newfound success, he encounters many setbacks that could alter his life as a dream celebrity. 

This is one of the few movies I watched without knowing much about them. I didn’t see the trailers or any television commercials for this movie. I just looked at the film’s synopsis and first-look photos, and that’s about it. Those two things immediately got me interested in “Dream Scenario”, showing that a small amount of marketing can make a difference in people’s interest. Of course, as I mentioned before, I’m a respectable fan of Nicolas Cage, especially for his recent works. So seeing him in something as surreal as his unhinged performances in the 2000s was enough to convince me to watch it as soon as I saw it playing at my closest cinema. Unsurprisingly, it’s as bizarre as the plot suggests, which is uncommon by A24’s creative quality standards. However, what makes it truly stand out is what it’s trying to say about society as a whole, resulting in a metaphoric and amusingly weird experience worthy of the talents of its director and star.

The thing to know about “Dream Scenario” is its tone. It’s marketed as a black comedy with fantasy elements, mainly from Nicolas Cage unintentionally invading people’s dreams. This would’ve come out as a harmless and bizarrely funny comedy, with Cage being completely nuts every few minutes. However, it turns out to be more than just a showcase of Cage doing what he does best. As this strange movie heads into its second half, it gradually heads into darker and even horrific territory regarding its themes, which is equivalent to going from a dream to an unsettling nightmare. Through his screenplay and direction, Borgli used this seemingly harmless concept to portray a convincing and depressing metaphor of fame and cancel culture in today’s society. We see Paul attempting to use his newfound popularity to make himself known, only for that fame to unexpectedly flip itself over, resulting in him being shunned by society.

Its tone can be misleading and even alienating for some viewers. Fortunately, “Dream Scenario” took advantage of this opportunity to deliver a bold and often provocative reflection on the pros and cons of fame that’s entertaining and thought-provoking. Borgli’s screenplay effectively resembles its themes and characters in an honest and distressing manner. Although, it can be a bit confusing as to how this unexplainable phenomenon works. On the other hand, it fits A24’s logic of the unknown being frightening, which this film did well in checking out that box. I will also credit Borgli for his direction and style. With dreams being the film’s concept, it’s hard not to admire his attempt to resemble the aesthetics of people’s random dreams. The dream sequences have a grainy cinematic look resembling a 70s exploitation movie, creating an outlook of visual hallucinations that are both surreal and unsettling. It’s hard not to look away from these sequences, meaning that Borgli, the editor, and the cinematographer have accomplished their goal.

The only flaw I have that dragged the film down a bit is its humor. As mentioned earlier, the movie is marketed as a black comedy, even though it’s more dramatic and dark than fun and endearing. It has a few humorous moments involving the dreams Paul’s students share and Cage that make me chuckle with delight and confusion. However, it also has some bits of comedy that don’t work as well as those that do. It’s not enough to detract from my experience, thankfully, not just because of its well-told story but also because of its cast. Nicolas Cage is undoubtedly terrific as Paul, further showcasing his magnetic charm and proving himself to be a compelling dramatic actor. Julianne Nicholson was also stellar as Janet, and Michael Cera was surprisingly impressive as Trent. It’s nice to see Cera getting more attention recently, especially since I mainly know him from “Superbad” and “Scott Pilgrim”.

Overall, “Dream Scenario” is as bizarre and attractively alienating as one would expect from their own dreams, creating a well-portrayed character study of the price of celebratory fame. Its misleading tone and hit-and-miss humor put a damper on its dream of being a perfect movie, but its intentions are strong enough to fulfill my expectations of A24’s storytelling quality and presentation. The film is a distressing and often amusing reflection that uses its bizarre plot to provide a unique voice resembling today’s society. It showcases Borgli as another talented filmmaker worth watching regarding his direction and screenplay. Additionally, Nicolas Cage never fails to impress me with his attention-grabbing roles, with his performance in “Dream Scenario” being one of them. If it’s showing at a theater near you, and you’re a fan of Nicolas Cage, it’s worth checking out. Just don’t expect this dream to be as overly pleasant as your erotic ones.

B+