Movie Breakdown: Dream Scenario
Pre-Screening Stance:
Dream Scenario looks funny, interesting, and – most importantly – worthy of having Nicolas Cage as its star. Fingers crossed that it lives up to the hype I’ve amassed for it.
Post-Screening Ramble:
I liked Dream Scenario quite a bit, but it’s certainly a high concept, heady, oddball film that won’t work for everyone. The story gets underway with an introduction to Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage), a tenured professor/family man who generally leads a pretty regular life. One day, Paul is keyed into the fact that more and more people have been seeing him in their dreams, and then before he knows it, just about everyone everywhere is experiencing it. At first it’s a fun aside for Paul, as he’s getting more attention and opportunities than ever before, but when the dream version of him switches from docile to aggressive, the world turns on him.
Unsurprisingly, Nicolas Cage really carries Dream Scenario. Paul is so damn bland that it makes him super awkward, and Cage leans into every squirmy tic like he may never get to act again. I don’t know if I would call it his best performance ever, but it’s definitely way up there on the list. As for the movie itself, it’s very funny and weird. It also takes a great look at the trappings of fame and how once you’re on that ride, you have no control. Paul is essentially doing nothing – he’s not projecting himself into people’s dreams, it’s just happening – but it doesn’t matter, he’s stuck dealing with every great and terrible thing that comes with being a celebrity.
If there’s anything that’s going to trip people up in Dream Scenario, I think it’s the third act. It veers into a totally different direction and serves up a heavy dose of melancholy, which will either drive its point home or annoy you. Good luck!
Dream Scenario is in select theaters as of today, November 17. It’s good but not something I would call super accessible.
One Last Thought:
I’ve heard a lot of good things about writer/director Kristoffer Borgli’s last film, 2022’s Sick Of Myself. Maybe it’s finally time to seek it out.
