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)
Running time
100 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2.5 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. The film stars Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Dylan Gelula, and Dylan Baker.

Dream Scenario premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2023. It was released in select theaters by A24 on November 10, 2023, and expanded on November 22, 2023 and will have a full wide release on December 1, 2023. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

Paul Matthews is a mild-mannered biology professor who starts inexplicably appearing in the dreams of people around him, typically as a reserved and emotionless bystander within uncanny and amusing events. Paul's journalist ex-girlfriend Claire spots him with his wife Janet and tells him that he was appearing in her dreams; she asks to discuss it further over coffee, which Janet assumes to be a romantic advance. Claire asks to write about these occurrences and Paul agrees. She links his Facebook profile in the article, leading to Paul receiving hundreds of messages from people who had dreamt of him. While Paul revels in the attention this brings, he is frustrated by his depiction in the dreams as passive and uninteresting. Janet asks Paul why he isn't appearing in her dreams and tells him that she would want to dream of him rescuing her while wearing an old Halloween costume inspired by an oversized suit that Talking Heads frontman David Byrne often wore during concerts.

After a mentally ill person sees Paul in his dreams, he breaks into his house and tries to kill him, prompting Paul to sign with a PR firm. Trent, a member of the firm, attempts to sell Paul on becoming a Sprite spokesman to no avail as Paul is more interested in using the firm to get his book proposal to a publisher. An assistant at the firm admits to Paul that she has had erotic dreams about him and they attempt to reenact one despite Paul being married, but he prematurely ejaculates and leaves humiliated. Later, Paul is enraged to learn that a colleague of his published a paper on the subject he was thinking of writing his book about. His presence in the dreams becomes actively violent and hateful, doing damage to his and his wife Janet's careers, as well as straining his relationship with the rest of his family.

Bystanders notice Paul in public and begin to be bothered by his presence, leading to a brawl in one situation after a man asks him to leave and harasses him. Janet asks Paul to consider issuing a public apology for his nightmarish presence in peoples' dreams; he refuses and yells at her. Upon having a nightmare where he is hunted down and killed by himself with a crossbow, Paul releases a self-pitying apology video, and a humiliated Janet kicks him out of the house. That night, Paul tries to force his way into his younger daughter's school play that he was asked to not attend, only to accidentally injure a teacher in the process and be kicked out by other attendees.

Sometime later, the dreams have stopped, and dream-traveling technology has been invented in light of Paul's outburst, primarily to be used for advertising. With Janet dating her co-worker and having separated from Paul, he goes on a mediocre tour in France to sell his autobiography Dream Scenario, which unfortunately has been retitled I Am Your Nightmare without his consent. Paul later uses the dream-travel tech to venture into one of Janet's dreams and save her life while wearing the David Byrne suit costume. Paul wishes the dream to be real before floating away as Janet wakes up.

Cast

Production

In August 2022, A24 announced Dream Scenario which was written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli.[4] Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Kate Berlant, Dylan Baker, and Dylan Gelula were cast in the film.[5] Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen and Cage produced the film.[6]

Filming

Principal photography commenced in Toronto in October 2022 and wrapped that November.[7][8]

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.[9][10][11] A24 distributed the film in the United States with a limited release on November 10, 2023, followed by an expanded release on November 22.[12][5] Distribution in Canada, New Zealand and Australia will be handled by VVS Films.[13]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 143 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. 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."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15]

Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal called the film "a bold statement that is bound to make a name" for Borgli.[16] 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."[17] 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."[18]

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."[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Dream Scenario (15)". BBFC. October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Dream Scenario". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  3. ↑ "One Paper" (PDF). A24 Press. 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. 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. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (October 25, 2022). "Mare of Easttown Star Julianne Nicholson Joins Nicolas Cage in A24's Dream Scenario". Variety. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ Hazelton, John (August 2, 2023). "Toronto unveils 2023 Platform line-up; 'Dream Scenario' with Nicolas Cage to open". Screen Daily. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  10. ↑ 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. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Dream Scenario". TIFF. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  12. ↑ Welk, Brian (August 30, 2022). "Nicolas Cage to Star in Comedy Dream Scenario for A24". The Wrap. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  13. ↑ 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. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Dream Scenario". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Dream Scenario". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  16. ↑ Smith, Kyle (November 9, 2023). "'Dream Scenario' Review: Nicolas Cage in a Fable of Fame". The Wall Street Journal.
  17. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (November 10, 2023). "Dream Scenario review – Nicolas Cage's Nicolas Cagiest performance yet in viral fame comedy". The Guardian.
  18. ↑ 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. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  19. ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (November 9, 2023). "'Dream Scenario' Review: Space Invader". The New York Times. Times Mirror Company. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
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