March 18, 2024 · Watch the trailer
If streaming services weren’t really a thing, every third movie released “straight to DVD” would probably star Nicolas Cage.
The former A-lister known for taking massive swings with every role he plays has been on a wild career rollercoaster of ups and downs, twists and turns over the last decade as every quality film he puts out seems to be offset by four misguided attempts at moviemaking that feel more like paychecks to pay off debts.
His latest film to actually arrive in theaters, “Dream Scenario,” came and went with little box office acclaim and yet seems to have found a home streaming on Max, which will present Cage’s unique eccentricities to a larger audience.
A wonderfully twisted and original film, “Dream Scenario” finds Cage in a state of inner turmoil as his lowly professor unwittingly and unknowingly becomes a background character in the dreams of thousands, including almost everyone in his daily life. This gives Paul an unexpected celebrity status until his notoriety turns darker as the dreams begin changing.
As the centerpiece of the entire film, Cage bizarrely yet perfectly toes the line between mild-mannered, quirkily obsessive and confused in such a way that the fringes of Paul’s psyche begin to fray under the weight and pressure of being the center of attention.
This is a role that could have been convincingly played by any number of veteran character actors, however Cage gives “Dream Scenario” an added layer of believability in a meta context as Cage’s own chaotic personality and assorted on-screen personas color the audiences’ mind about Paul throughout the performance.
It’s a singular effort that truly makes the whole film run. Cage is pointedly sharp and witty with his line readings from a terrific screenplay from Norwegian writer/director Kristoffer Borgli and knows how to use his physicality in unique and interesting ways that always keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.
This is especially true during the film’s most lurid and shocking moment in the second act, when Paul begins to blend the dreams others have of him with reality and the ways in which he and director Borgli are able to subvert expectations makes “Dream Scenario” one of the most original films to come along in some time.
A stellar supporting cast led by Julianne Nicholson as Paul’s wife and Michael Cera as an image consultant does just enough work around the fringes to allow Cage to excel while providing humor in muted tones.
With one of the best performances of his career, Cage revels in the awkwardness of Paul, a man describes by others as imminently forgettable standing in the shadows of the lives of others and it’s through the unlikely attention he receives that Paul’s social anxieties pervade the space and bring significant change to his life.
While it’s interesting to examine “Dream Scenario” on its themes of cult celebrity status and the human psyche, this isn’t a film that seeks to have a specific point. The real hook of “Dream Scenario” comes from the quirky, bizarre originality of the storytelling which feels like a slightly horror twist on Paul Thomas Anderson or David Lynch.
Borgli’s American debut will be very much in the cinematic wheelhouse of a specific subsection of cinephiles who devour the filmography of supremely successful indie arthouse studio A24, but it could prove to be too out there for others.
Leave a Reply