Dream Scenario
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKristoffer Borgli
Written byKristoffer Borgli
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBenjamin Loeb
Edited byKristoffer Borgli
Music byOwen Pallett
Production
companies
Distributed byA24
Release dates
  • September 9, 2023 (2023-09-09) (TIFF)
  • November 10, 2023 (2023-11-10) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$8 million[2]

Dream Scenario is a 2023 American black comedy fantasy film written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli. It is produced by Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen under their Square Peg banner, alongside Nicolas Cage, Jacob Jaffke, and Tyler Campellone. It stars Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Dylan Gelula and Dylan Baker. Cage plays Paul Matthews, a mild-mannered biology professor who begins appearing in the dreams of others.

It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2023 and began a limited theatrical release by A24 on November 10, 2023, before expanding on November 22. It received positive reviews and was nominated for several awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Nicolas Cage.

Plot

Paul Matthews is a mild-mannered biology professor who begins appearing in the dreams of random people. In the dreams, calamity occurs, but Paul is emotionless and does not intervene.

When Paul learns an old colleague is considering writing a book on a topic he has considered writing about, he cannot find the courage to confront her. Paul's journalist ex-girlfriend, Claire, spots him with his wife, Janet, and tells him he appears in her dreams. With his permission, she writes an article about the experience. She links his picture and Facebook profile, leading to hundreds of strangers recognizing him from their dreams. While Paul enjoys the media coverage this brings, he is frustrated by his depiction in the dreams as passive and uninteresting.

Paul's wife, Janet, asks why he does not appear in her dreams. She describes her fantasy: Paul rescues her while wearing the oversized suit worn by David Byrne in the 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense. A mentally ill man sees Paul in his dreams and breaks into the house with a knife, raising concerns about the risks of his fame.

Paul meets with a PR firm, hoping to get a book deal, but they attempt to convince him to advertise Sprite. After an assistant at the firm tells him about her erotic dreams about him, he attempts to reenact them for her, but he suffers premature ejaculation and flatulence and leaves humiliated.

Paul is enraged to learn that a former colleague has published a paper on the subject he was thinking of writing his book about. Paul's presence in the dreams becomes violent and sadistic, and he becomes vilified. He is put on leave after students refuse to enroll in his classes. Bystanders begin to notice Paul in public and are bothered by his presence, resulting in a brawl in a diner. After Janet's career is affected, she asks Paul to make a public apology, but he angrily refuses.

After Paul has a nightmare in which he is hunted and killed by a version of himself with a crossbow, he releases a self-pitying apology video. Humiliated, Janet throws him out of the house. Paul forces his way into his daughter's school play, but accidentally injures a teacher in the process and is restrained.

Some time later, the dreams have stopped. In light of the discovery of a shared subconsciousness, dreams have become an advertising space. Janet is separated from Paul and is dating a coworker. Paul goes on a book tour in France to sell his autobiography, Dream Scenario, which has been retitled I Am Your Nightmare without his consent. He uses dream-travel technology to enter one of Janet's dreams and rescue her while wearing the Byrne suit. Paul wishes the dream were real and floats away.

Cast

Production

A24 announced the film in August 2022,[4] with Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Kate Berlant, Dylan Baker and Dylan Gelula to be included in the cast.[5]

Principal photography commenced in Toronto in October 2022 and wrapped that November.[6][7]

Release

Dream Scenario premiering at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival

Dream Scenario premiered as the opening film in the Platform Prize program at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2023.[8][9][10] A24 distributed it in the United States with a limited release on November 10, 2023, followed by an expanded release on November 22.[11][5] Distribution in Canada, New Zealand and Australia was handled by VVS Films.[12]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 212 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Come to Dream Scenario for career-highlight work from Nicolas Cage—and leave mulling over everything it has to say about pop culture's fickle whims."[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[14]

Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal called the film "a bold statement that is bound to make a name" for Borgli.[15] Peter Bradshaw, in his review of the film in The Guardian, called it "very enjoyable" and a "smart film about the uncanny experience of fame."[16] Peter Debruge of Variety noted that "Borgli shoots the dreams no different from the waking moments, creating a kind of mind game for audiences, who must determine at any given moment whether the scene in question is real or imagined."[17]

Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times wrote that the film is "often funny and frequently surreal" but said that Borgli had "more ideas than space to execute them," leading to a third act that feels "overloaded and indecisive of where it wants to land." Catsoulis also wrote that the erotic scene between Paul and Molly "could make you want to put your eyes out."[18]

Accolades

Awards and nominations for Dream Scenario
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Golden Globe Awards January 7, 2024 Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nicolas Cage Nominated [19]
Satellite Awards February 18, 2024 Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical Pending [20]
Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical Dream Scenario Pending

References

  1. ↑ "Dream Scenario (15)". BBFC. October 31, 2023. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Dream Scenario (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  3. ↑ "One Paper" (PDF). A24 Press. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ Kroll, Justin (August 30, 2022). "Nicolas Cage To Star In A24 Comedy 'Dream Scenario' With Ari Aster Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  5. 1 2 D’Alessandro, Anthony (August 14, 2023). "A24's TIFF Nicolas Cage Comedy 'Dream Scenario' Sets Fall Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ Atad, Corey (November 1, 2022). "Nicolas Cage Goes Bald For New Comedy Shoot In Toronto". ET Canada. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  7. ↑ Harris, Peter (November 18, 2022). "Oscar winner Nicolas Cage finds filmmaker dreams in Aldershot - Ontario News". Canada Today. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  8. ↑ Hazelton, John (August 2, 2023). "Toronto unveils 2023 Platform line-up; 'Dream Scenario' with Nicolas Cage to open". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  9. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 2, 2023). "TIFF Platform Lineup Includes Nicolas Cage Comedy 'Dream Scenario' On Opening Night; Barry Jenkins, Nadine Labaki & Anthony Shim To Serve On Sidebar Jury". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Dream Scenario". TIFF. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  11. ↑ Welk, Brian (August 30, 2022). "Nicolas Cage to Star in Comedy Dream Scenario for A24". The Wrap. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  12. ↑ Frater, Patrick (October 18, 2023). "Canada Distributor VVS Films Expands to Australia, New Zealand With Nicolas Cage's 'Dream Scenario' Set as Debut (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Dream Scenario". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Dream Scenario". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  15. ↑ Smith, Kyle (November 9, 2023). "'Dream Scenario' Review: Nicolas Cage in a Fable of Fame". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  16. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (November 10, 2023). "Dream Scenario review – Nicolas Cage's Nicolas Cagiest performance yet in viral fame comedy". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  17. ↑ Debruge, Peter (September 10, 2023). "'Dream Scenario' Review: In a Career of More Than 100 Credits, This Nightmare Ranks Among Nicolas Cage's Best". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  18. ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (November 9, 2023). "'Dream Scenario' Review: Space Invader". The New York Times. Times Mirror Company. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Golden Globe Awards: The 2024 nominations in full". December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  20. ↑ IPA (December 18, 2023). "IPA Reveals Nominations for the 28th Satellite™ Awards | International Press Academy". Retrieved December 31, 2023.
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