Title – Dream Scenario (2023) 

Director – Kristoffer Borgli (Sick of Myself) 

Cast – Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Tim Meadows, Dylan Baker

Plot – Reserved family man and university professor Paul Matthews (Cage) finds himself the talk of the world and subject to new found fame when he starts appearing in people’s dreams for no known reason. 

“Am I sensing a little midlife crisis here?”

Review by Eddie on 26/02/2024

A fever dream of a film that combines its producer Ari Aster’s wild mind with its director Kristoffer Borgli channelling of Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry, Dream Scenario may never quite make the most of its bizarre, unique and intriguing concept but it provides an unpredictable cinematic experience that continues on its leading mans recent success with a late career renaissance.  

Built off an hilarious premise where Scenario’s leading man Nicolas Cage’s softly spoken and depressed university professor Paul Matthews finds himself in the public spotlight and (literally) in people’s minds after appearing in millions of peoples dreams for no apparent reason, Borgli’s film may at times appear to be a purely comedic offering but there’s far more at play here in a film that for the majority leans more into the dramatic as we explore Matthews fracturing mindset, the dangers of going viral in the modern age and the way in which people can loose themselves in hype and forgo the things that truly matter.   

Sometimes struggling with its juggling act as it offers bizarre moments in Paul’s “dream victims”, Paul’s sad personal life and battle against years of regret, Paul’s new found fame and most importantly to the film his marriage to Julianne Nicholson’s long suffering wife to Paul Janet, Scenario doesn’t always gel together scene to scene the way in which one might have hoped for and its relatively brief 100 minute runtime on occasions feels rushed to an ending that will either fly or fall with viewers but there’s little denying the work of Cage who thrives in another oddball role that utilises his well-known talents to great effect. 

Nominated for a Golden Globe for his work here, continuing on a strong recent period that includes the cult-favourite Pig and the fun comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Cage is having a blast bringing the mild-mannered but ready to explode Matthews to life and there’s no one else you could imagine doing better work in this role from Paul terrorising his dreamers, having awkward moments of flatulence or unleashing on those that he has perceived to be doing wrong by him, Cage is Scenario’s greatest asset and one that makes this peculiar feature a more noteworthy one. 

You get a sense that with more refinement and a greater exploration of its core selling point Scenario could’ve been a genuine indie classic but as an entertaining diversion and new way to explore familiar subject matters, Borgli and Cage’s effort is still a dream worth having. 

Final Say – 

Never reaching the grand heights of what might have been, Dream Scenario is still a fun and different take on well-trodden material and features another strong Nicolas Cage leading man turn that one hopes will continue into his upcoming future projects. 

3 1/2 Freddy Kruger claws out of 5