The Subconscious Cage in Sharp ‘Dream Scenario’

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Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Nicolas Cage makes a welcome return to Charlie Kaufman-like mind bending drama in “Dream Scenario.” He stars as Paul Matthews, a bald and schlubby college professor always clad in an ever present winter coat. His unremarkable life takes a turn when he mysteriously begins appearing in millions of people’s dreams. 


He’s got a wife and two teen daughters, and makes a good living but hasn’t achieved the level of respect and credit he believes he deserves. Cage’s Professor Paul sees himself as a genius, albeit one with a dad bod and no hair. The rest of the world doesn’t pay him much mind at all, and if they do he’s usually welcomed with the kind of lack of enthusiasm usually reserved for tax lawyers.

Dream Scenario
Photo credit: A24

So when he becomes a minor viral celebrity, it catches everyone off guard, including the low key Professor. At this point Michael Cera checks in for a delightful turn as the head of a small marketing firm out to exploit Paul’s viral fame for sponsored posts rather than science. But Paul himself welcomes the newfound viral heat and fame in hopes it’ll draw more attention to his research, which he believes is being co-opted by a former colleague who actually wrote a paper inspired by the ideas that Paul has still rattling around in his head, but hasn’t written down yet. He soon finds that getting people to care about his research is easier said than done.

But when his night time appearances mysteriously turn into nightmares for the millions he’s appearing to he’s at a loss on how to handle it. The sponsors dry up and his family begins to take on collateral damage as well as he becomes a cultural pariah on campus. He can’t even go to lunch alone without upsetting someone and gets banned from his own daughter’s school for being a disruptive presence.

“Dream Scenario” seems sure to add a few scenes to the ongoing compilation of Nicolas Cage memes on the internet, but it’s no mere meme factory. Writer and Director Kristoffer Borgli manages to harness Cage’s fully committed performance to good ends. The story is a meditation on the fleeting nature of fame in our social media age, and Cage seems to be totally in sync with the material here. It reminded me of just how good he can be in a movie like this dating back to “Adaptation.” I didn’t find that movie as mind blowing at the time as its predecessor, “Being John Malkovich,” but time has been kind to that Cage stage.

Nicolas Cage in ‘Dream Scenario’
Photo credit: A24

At this point in Nicolas Cage’s career, the unconventional has become conventional. His consistently unusual choices have lost some of their surprise, but they’re no less welcome. So when he shows up in “Dream Scenario,” he dives headfirst into the life, dreams, and frustrations of this seemingly unremarkable protagonist and he can’t help but be watchable. Cage manages to find the man underneath it all as he first rebels against a situation out of his control, and then tries to put it behind him.

But in the process he manages to stumble upon a major scientific breakthrough, although it’s not the one he was aiming for and he won’t be the one who profits off it. To be honest though, I found the final third of the movie to be the most surprising and enjoyable. It takes a twist and goes in an inventive and fun direction that I didn’t see coming. Even if it doesn’t land all of the time, I’ll give it some props for making such brave attempts.

By SPIKE WALTERS Contributor HollywoodChicago.com spike@hollywoodchicago.com