When you pry into Nicolas Cage’s motivations for his latest cinematic escapade, Dream Scenario, you might expect a galaxy of profound insights. Instead, you get something reminiscent of a college paper hastily scribbled in the back of a pizza joint. Much like his on-screen persona, Cage claims he was drawn to this script due to its astute commentary on fame, a subject as fresh and unchewed as last week’s gum. “(It’s) an interesting analysis about the experience of fame,” he murmurs, recalling how a YouTube video compiling his most memorable freak-outs went uncomfortably viral. In his poetic confusion, he reflects, “This isn’t what I had in mind when I decided to become a film actor.” You can practically hear the clocks ticking in his mind as he contemplates existential dread between chuckles.
Ah, the highly meme-able star, exorcising his anxieties through a foray into a surreal comedy. Dream Scenario, which hits theaters like a misplaced whoopee cushion, begins as a whimsical romp into the life of an average Joe who inexplicably becomes the hottest item in digital marketing, thanks to the bizarre phenomenon of showing up in strangers’ dreams. Think of it as a baffling Tinder match gone awry, where the only swipe left is against your sanity.
In this comedic doodle, Cage plays Paul, a college professor whose life is as exciting as a damp mop. Students snooze through his lectures, and his life partner Janet (played by the ever-understanding Julianne Nicholson) views his sad-sack existence with a blend of compassion and exasperation. Once upon a time, Paul had career aspirations — perhaps to be the Einstein of evolutionary biology — but now he’s the embodiment of middle-aged malaise. Enter: judgment from the universe, perhaps delivered via a cheeky Zoom call from fate.
But hold onto your popcorn, because Paul starts drawing unsolicited attention! Random folks approach him, exclaiming, “I know you from my dreams!” This, of course, catapults him into a cultural phenomenon — a human-interest story that would make for an exquisite post on a pseudo-viral site. With newfound popularity, Paul revels in his fleeting stardom, proving the age-old adage that nothing says ‘I have finally arrived’ quite like an unexpected DM from a brand’s marketing team.
Director Kristoffer Borgli sets the stage for a satirical take on the fleeting highs of internet stardom, crafting a clever dark comedy that seemingly critiques our insatiable thirst for celebrity. Initially, our hapless hero’s rise offers commentary on society’s love for the absurd — think of the obsessive fascination with a cat that simply looks grumpy. But like any good plot twist, the universe delivers a hefty slap, flipping Paul from beloved dreamboat to nightmare incarnate as he graduates to becoming a literal dream invader, complete with a violent twist befitting a horror film.
What transpires next is a shining example of how quickly the internet’s love can turn to scorn — classic fickleness. Our protagonist oscillates between dorky professor and societal villain, with the marketing team rebranding him as the “nerdy-professor version of Joe Rogan,” which just sounds like an awkward dinner party conversation waiting to happen. You might think Dream Scenario would take a deeper dive into the absurdity of public scrutiny, but instead, we get a half-baked take on cancel culture wrapped in a thin layer of punchlines that don’t really land. Kinda like soggy fries.
Ultimately, through Paul’s misadventures, the film attempts social commentary, detailing the anxiety of living in a world where every misstep can be amplified by the echo chamber of online outrage. Nicolas semi-jokingly expressed a longing for “authentic” interviews, perhaps forgetting that in today’s world, even a sneeze can trigger a trending hashtag. The irony here is thick enough to cut with a knife: while he grapples with the existential weight of fame, the film itself flounders in offering any meaningful critique of the very world it satirizes. To put it bluntly, Dream Scenario thinks it’s smarter than it actually is, like a cat that believes it runs the household.
