X
In Theaters Now
- 2023
- R
- 1 h 42 m
- 2023
- R
- 1 h 42 m
Summary Hapless family man Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom.
Directed By: Kristoffer Borgli
Written By: Kristoffer Borgli
In Theaters Now
- 2023
- R
- 1 h 42 m
- 2023
- R
- 1 h 42 m
Dream Scenario
74
7.4
Where to Watch
Summary Hapless family man Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom.
Directed By: Kristoffer Borgli
Written By: Kristoffer Borgli
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 44 Critic Reviews
74
84% Positive
37 Reviews
37 Reviews
16% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 44 Critic Reviews
74
84% Positive
37 Reviews
37 Reviews
16% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The film starts off akin to a tongue-in-cheek “Twilight Zone” episode, then becomes a meditation on fame before transforming into a scathing satire of several things at once: Gen Z, cancel culture, and even the people who complain about cancel culture. Written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli, it’s bleak and funny and provides Cage with his most satisfying role since 1997’s “Face/Off.”
To watch Cage ride this rollercoaster of popular culture is a pure delight. It’s also agonizing and will make you squirm.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 8 User Ratings
7.4
75% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
25% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 8 User Ratings
7.4
75% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
25% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Legitimate Cryptocurrency Recovery Company 2023// Lost Recovery Masters
Hello, my name is Jean Delon .I'm 37 years old from the United Kingdom. My family and I were left with nothing after falling prey to a cryptocurrency investment fraud that took $807,000 in USDT and Bitcoins from us. We were quite fortunate to stumble across a post about LOST RECOVER MASTERS, a cryptocurrency and funds recovery organization with extensive cybersecurity knowledge. Recovery Masters were able to recover all of our cash, and they were tracked down and reported to the right authorities using the information we gave. In my opinion, you should use Lost Recovery Masters to recover your cryptocurrency.
Email: ****
Whatsapp: +1(204)819-5505Learn more: ****/
Report
Nicolas Cage stars in this trip of a film about a slovenly college professor who inexplicably starts randomly appearing in everybody's (even complete strangers') dreams, making him an overnight viral star around the world. However, he soon starts to experience firsthand the downsides of fame and the spotlight when he starts to become homicidal in everybody's dreams, putting him and his reputation on the line. First of all, I've long held the opinion (a hot take to some) that Cage is not a good actor. More often than not, he's quite terrible I might add, as no one else in Hollywood overacts quite like him. Be that as it may, I do find him incredibly entertaining to watch nonetheless. This film is certainly no exception, as Cage seems to fully embrace and lean into this whacky concept that this film has to offer. I do feel as though the concept could've been explored and expanded upon a bit more, but what we got was still highly intriguing and fun to watch. Moreover, the film does a fine job of highlighting the less than desirable effects of cancel culture and just how far certain people can take it. As for the performances, Cage gives us a surprisingly broad range of emotions here, turning in one of his more nuanced and fleshed out performances to date, which I certainly was not expecting from him. Supporting actors such as Julianne Nicholson as his wife and even Michael Cera appear to help liven things up throughout. The story does start to wear a little thin in the third act, and like I said, I personally wanted the concept to be expanded upon a bit more than it ended up being, but otherwise, it was wildly imaginative and inventive throughout. Overall, Cage gives it his all in this whacky but certainly never dull look at our dreams while cleverly tying it into a larger conversation about cancel culture and public perception.
Report
For a while, the film seems unsure which direction to take. But a darker third act sees Paul’s benign personality begin to warp in people’s dreams, impacting his entire life. Meanwhile, echoing the work of Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich in particular), Dream Scenario morphs into a wickedly funny satire on the pernicious nature of social media.
Dream Scenario gets many cringing laughs, and yet its humor—easy shots at vapid capitalist-pawn influencers, cancel culture, Tucker Carlson, and other culture wars Mad Libs—is mostly about the cheap comic thrill of getting the reference.
The trouble is that, for all the comedy and the poignancy of this central concept, the movie requires a plot.
Like a dream, you’re left with thoughts and impressions to mull over for a long time. These sticky images and profound ideas lodge themselves in place, even if you’re not quite sure they all fit together.
Borgli’s feature is just another somewhat edgy movie that has nothing to say.
Packing a lot of material and ideas into a single film can result in a muddled, confusing mess, no matter how well-meaning a filmmaker’s intentions might be. However, in his third feature outing, writer-director Kristoffer Borgli succeeds for the most part when it comes to tackling such an imposing task. This offbeat tale of tenured but underappreciated university professor (Nicolas Cage) takes viewers on a wild ride through the diverse realms of fame, metaphysics, cancel culture, unrelenting group think, and unexpressed, underpursued desire, and the downside consequences of each. All of this comes about when the middle-aged everyman protagonist inexplicably begins showing up in the dreams of countless people, many of whom he doesn’t even know. This curious oneiric anomaly – an inspired metaphor for one’s presence on social media and in the public eye – quickly transforms him into an overnight viral media sensation, one that starts off with a generous showering of attention and **** admiration but that almost as quickly leads him to become a scorned put-upon pariah. He swiftly becomes more than just yesterday’s news; he turns into the object of a targeted campaign of cancel culture, hate speech and unapologetic ostracism. And, ironically, it all stems from something he never wanted nor asked for in the first place (at least in the form it ultimately took). From the foregoing description, it might sound like the filmmaker has tried to overstuff this vehicle with far too much material for viewers to process and comprehend, and there are points in the story (especially in the last half hour) where a good case could be made for that argument. However, in telling this allegorical fable, the director manages to keep the narrative’s ideas distinctly sorted and in context to drive home his message, a powerful cautionary tale about the point we’ve collectively reached as a society with respect to these powerful and potentially damaging matters and practices. These are notions that we all need to hear but seldom do because of all the noise surrounding us that prevents us from hearing the music because of all the notes. For all this seriousness, however, “Dream Scenario” is loaded with hilarious, laugh-out-loud humor and fine performances all around (especially Cage and Michael Cera as an empty-headed, self-absorbed brand management expert), complemented with skillful film editing and carefully selected incidental shots that effectively punctuate the mood of many scenes. The script is generally solid, too, though it begins to stray somewhat from the material that works best in the final act, and there are a few graphically violent sequences that sensitive viewers should be wary of. On balance, though, this is the kind of production that should be made in greater numbers in an age where so many of us have lost touch with reason, our existence and ourselves. Maybe watching an offering like this could help us all sit up, think and get back on track while we still can.
Report
Often funny, usually interesting. Perhaps overstays its welcome a tad by the end and is not particularly strong in the ending. But there’s a lot here to appreciate. And it’s one of the best examinations of cancel culture / social media I’ve seen. It achieves this all through metaphor, like art is supposed to.
Report
A world where Nicolas Cage haunts people’s dreams is about as weird and original as you’d expect. Dream Scenario is dark, funny, bizarre and worth a watch if you’re looking for something a little different.
Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life upended when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. The unexplained phenomenon starts as him just appearing and doing nothing while people are having very random dreams. All of a sudden Paul finds himself the centre of attention and a viral sensation. Just when he’s beginning to enjoy his newfound **** things take a dark turn when the dreams turn into graphic nightmares, which he is violently involved. But what does one do when they’re becoming a social pariah all because of things they’ve done in people’s subconscious?This unexplained occurrence could not have happened to a more ordinary and boring guy. Paul’s life hasn’t exactly turned out the way he expected. With everyone around him seeming to flourish in their careers and publishing their work only makes his own failures seem worse especially when he can’t get his own book published, or even written. So when the chance at fame arises, albeit for the most bizarre of reasons he jumps at the opportunity with little thought into what going viral can bring. The good, the bad and the crazy. By the time he realises this, the effects on his work life and family life have already taken hold.
Dream Scenario is not exactly the laugh out loud comedy the trailer made it appear to be. Yes it’s funny enough and contains quite a lot of toe curling cringe humour. Mostly due to Cage’s mortifying reaction to the sudden fame and all the good and bad that comes with that. It’s loosely based on a real life internet hoax, but instead Dream Scenario takes the idea and runs with it as if it really could happen. It really does delve into dark themes when the dreams for these millions of people turn nightmarish. Paul is now seen as a dangerous threat to his students, strangers on the street and even his own family. As a result the film drifts away from comedy and more into the horror theme, before bouncing back to comedic moments. It’s also satirical at times, with particular focus on social media fame, and cancel culture. The plot definitely went down paths I wasn’t expecting and it’s a bit of a mishmash of genres but it was entertaining nonetheless. The constant tonal shifts gives the entire film a dream like quality and when it ends you’re left feeling like you just woke up from a strange dream. You’ll go along with it as it’s happening but afterwards, the whole experience feels very peculiar.
Dream Scenario is an original and interesting idea that feels like a breath of fresh air. It’s probably not going to last too long in the cinemas and a certain cinema chain that has 10+ screens isn’t showing it (surprise, surprise). So if you do want to see it, better make it quick. Recommended for anyone looking for something very different and weird. And as always it’s a must see for all the die-hard Nicolas Cage fans.
Report
Production Company
A24,
Square Peg,
Wildling Pictures
Release Date Nov 10, 2023
Duration 1 h 42 m
Rating R
Awards
Toronto International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA)
• 1 Nomination
