Dream Scenario

I must say first that Dream Scenario is not at all what I expected it to be. After falling in love with writer/director Kristoffer Borgli's previous film Sick Of Myself, then exploring all of his recent short films on YouTube, I thought I had a grasp on what to expect from Dream Scenario, but I was off and that makes it a bit more challenging to form a solid opinion on. One thing is for certain though: regardless of how much you feel like you are enjoying the film as you are watching it, this is the kind of movie that will have you thinking and talking about it, trying to find all the analogies, for some time afterwards. Though my girlfriend left the theater a total of 4 times due to anxiety, she pulled even more apt metaphor out of it than I did when it was over - it gave us a lot to discuss, far more than the average movie.

The overall tone was way different than I was expecting. The trailer had me thinking this would be a quirky adventure into dreams and personalities, but Dream Scenario is FAR more horror-leaning than I'd imagined. Having seen Borgli's previous work in combination with the choice to have Nicolas Cage as the lead, this really threw me off. Once you get into it, it often feels like the work of Ari Aster, which made a lot more sense to me when the ending credits hit and I saw that Ari Aster had produced it. Apparently Aster was originally set to direct this film with Adam Sandler as the lead, but after Sick Of Myself did well, Aster pushed to get Borgli in the director's chair for A24. Overall, the movie has its signature Borgli moments but it definitely feels like a combination of Borgli, Aster, and A24 vibes rather than simply a Borgli piece.

There is not nearly as much comedy as I thought there would be, and most of it is very subdued. I felt like I was laughing more than anyone else in the theater, and it was not much, to be honest. Laughs are simply not one of the primary focuses of the film, in my opinion. And on the subject of atypical focuses, there are hardly fleshed-out characters in this movie at all - they are more like archetypes or vessels that allow the themes to be explored. The way Cage's character works is that he is an effective "every man" in the sense that he's not really likable, but also not especially unlikable - he could be just about any average person, and that's the point. The real "main character" is society and their response to what's happening in a collective manner.

While it's not the most riveting or throughly enjoyable film, it is incredibly original and does seem to have a lot to say underneath it's surface of "simplicity". I was expecting something in the realm of Charlie Kaufman, but what I got was perhaps something I can't compare to almost anything else. At one point in the film, there is a book that is released, and when it does the character who wrote it exclaims "It was supposed to be called Dream Scenario", then the publisher responds, "Is there something wrong with the new title, I Am Your Nightmare?". I feel like this is a fitting summary of my entire experience with this film. I'm not sure if that was all set up on purpose, as a "haha" at the viewer's expense, but knowing Borgli and his specific style of genius-level trolling, I'd say he knew exactly what he was doing.

Quick Review: My biggest pet peeve in films is dream sequences (I don't even love 'Inception' - don't hurt me). However the way they are done in 'Dream Scenario' was perfect. This film was a blast.

Talk about getting everything out of a concept. The movie starts and you think, okay this is a lot of fun, but where are they going to go from here? Have no fear, they have plenty of tricks up their sleeves and the wild ride continues throughout.

The film is hilarious. It contained some of the biggest theatre laughs I've heard in a long time. But it's more than that too. It actually gets quite touching and sad and has some real thought-provoking stuff going on. This was an excellent film. 8/10.

Dream Scenario is a really funny look at unexpected fame and how it's impossible to control how others interpret it. A be careful what you wish for story that's a lot stronger when primarily focusing on how fame changes a person than when it delves into cancel culture.

Uncomfortable with how his own image has been interpreted, Nicolas Cage is the ideal person for this. He plays the pitiful nature of Paul beautifully and brings none of the Cage rage he's synonymous with, in a nice change of pace. The film also feels aware of Cage's persona, understanding everything is funnier and weirder because it's Nic Cage specifically.

Kristoffer Borgli's direction really nails the dream sequences in particular. They're very surreal (obviously), brief and when they start to turn into nightmares they really don't hold back on the violence. It also has the second most hilariously awkward sex scene of recent memory, with Beau Is Afraid being number one which is so fitting since Ari Aster is a producer on this.

First, I recommend going into Dream Scenario knowing as little as possible about the movie. Avoid trailers, even synopses (maybe even this review). Discovering the premise is as enjoyable as the rest of the movie.

But even after being amused by this unique and creative premise, it didn't seem like there was anywhere else for this idea to go. But there's no reason to worry. The directions it takes are just as creative as the premise.

Even though it's very different, this gave me Eternal Sunshine vibes, especially with how original it feels. The humor is fairly dry, which I normally don't like. But it made me laugh a decent amount, usually loudly. And there are a few moments that hit hard.

Nick Cage. Oh Nick Cage. I watch all his movies. Most are bad, but Dream scenario is part of the resurgence (along with Massive Talent). And even though most people just want to see his hilarious freakouts, here he reminds us that he is one of the most talented actors out there. I haven't forgotten. I would love to see it more often.

(2 viewings, 12/22/2023, 7/25/2025)

Horror Comedy? Uhm, yeah, no. Sure, there's a handful of funny moments and some scary stuff but it's far from being a horror comedy. This is a very traditional "Nicolas Cage" drama, through and through. It has an air of humor and awkwardness throughout all of it due to his performance, but overall, there's a bigger picture behind it. Oddly enough, in a lot of ways it felt like a very late companion piece to Cage's performance in The Weather Man, a movie where his character also deals with consequences of fame while dealing with a crumbling family life. The biggest difference is that Dream Scenario leans farther into the consequences of fame that celebrities never asked for and that consumers fail to understand because of the media. This is a very sad and upsetting movie that I would say accurately captures that feeling of not having control of your life. It's definitely among the best films I've seen this year.