Any new movie starring Nicolas Cage is sure to draw the interest of cinephiles — well, so long as it’s not a straight-to-VOD B-movie. His latest outing in Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario manages to capture all of his usual eccentricities while also giving him the opportunity to do some pretty broad comedy, resulting in a film that’s entertaining, if not as challenging as one would hope.
The movie follows a professor whose life is upended — for better and then for worse — when he suddenly appears in the dreams of millions of strangers from across the world. Imagine A Nightmare on Elm Street as a fish-out-of-water comedy, and that’s pretty much what you’re getting with Dream Scenario.
For a film that’s put out by A24 and made by a European satirist, Dream Scenario’s comedy is surprisingly broad. There are a lot of laugh-out-loud funny moments in the movie, sometimes even from more lowbrow sources than one would expect, like fart jokes and sex jokes. It’s definitely refreshing to see a film not try too hard to be smart that it forgets to be enjoyable.
That being said, the movie very clearly runs out of steam after the second act, and starts to spin its wheels for the last 20 minutes of the runtime. The film attempts to introduce some new ideas at this point in one last ditch attempt to keep the train moving, but it’s too late in the narrative for it to feel fully developed.
Dream Scenario may work better if you haven’t seen Kristoffer Borgli’s other work
Those who are familiar with Borgli’s previous work will notice many thematic similarities between Dream Scenario and his other movies. In a way, the film’s exploration of fame feels like a rehash of that in Sick of Myself, just for a more mainstream audience and with a different concept. It’s arguably more effective than his previous movies, but still will not feel fresh to those cinephiles already used to his brand of satire.
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That being said, it is clear that Borgli had a much bigger budget to work with on Dream Scenario, as he gets to flex his aesthetic muscles here. The film’s cinematography and visual effects strike the right balance of restrained and maximalist to give the movie the dreamlike quality that Borgli clearly hopes to imbue it with.
The biggest strength of the film is its character development, which Borgli does quite well. The protagonist is not a particularly likable character. He’s selfish and fame-seeking, often making bad decisions at the behest of everyone around him. Yet, there’s something endearing about him that, despite all of his mistakes, viewers will still be able to see part of themselves in him.
Of course, the biggest draw of this movie is Nicolas Cage in the leading role, and he does some really strong work here. He splits the difference between his more restrained turns in films like Pig and his more overtly comedic approach to movies like The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. However, as is always the case, it’s hard not to see him as Cage in the role. And given that the character is meant to be otherwise unnoteworthy, it doesn’t quite work here.
Julianne Nicholson has a few really powerful scenes in her supporting role, but it’s not a long enough role to leave much of a lasting impression. Dylan Gelula only has a few scenes, but is so funny that she’s probably the best in the cast outside of Cage. Other prominent actors that come and go include Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, and Dylan Baker.
There’s no denying that Dream Scenario is a funny movie, and Cage’s performance does make it worth the watch. However, for those who are familiar with Borgli’s past work, it’s likely to be too familiar to make much of an impact. Even though it’s arguably more polished and refined, it would be nice to see Borgli not tread the same thematic waters time and time again.
Dream Scenario screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, which ran September 7-17 in Toronto, Canada.
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Rating: 7/10
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