[FILM REVIEW] DREAM SCENARIO Review (2024)

January 29, 2024February 11, 2024 Dave Agape Mngomezulu, Al Warren, Alex First, Alton Mason, Amber Midthunder, Ben Steele, Caleb Weatherbee, Cara Volchoff, Central Coast Radio, David Griffiths, David Klein, Dominic Di Rosa, Dream Scenario, Dylan Baker, Dylan Gelula, Greer Cohen, Jennifer Wignore, Jesse-Ann Kohlman, Jessica Clement, Jim Armstrong, Josh Richards, Julianne Nicholson, Kaleb Horn, Kate Berlant, Krista Bridges, Kristoffer Borgli, Kyle McGrath, Lily Bird, Liz Adjei, Maex Beaty, Marc Coppola, Marnie McPhail, Michael Cera, Nicholas Braun, Nicolas Cage, Nicole Leroux, Noah Centineo, Noah Lamanna, Paula Boudreau, Phillip Van Martin, Richard Jutras, Romona Gilmour-Darling, Sofia Banzhaf, Star Slade, The Popcorn Conspiracy Radio Show, Thomas Mitchell, Tim Meadows, USA

Summary: A hapless family man finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. When his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom.

Year: 2024

Cinema Release Dates: 1st January 2024 (Australia), 14th December 2023 (Thailand), 10th November 2023 (UK), 10th November 2023 (USA)

VOD Release Dates: TBA (Australia), TBA (Thailand), TBA (UK), TBA (USA)

Country: USA

Director: Kristoffer Borgli

Screenwriter: Kristoffer Borgli

Cast: Liz Adjei (Avery), Jim Armstrong (Tristan), Dylan Baker (Richard), Sofia Banzhaf (Leah), Maex Beaty (Naomi), Kate Berlant (Mary), Lily Bird (Sophie Matthews), Paula Boudreau (Sheila), Nicholas Braun (Brian Berg), Krista Bridges (Carlota), Nicolas Cage (Paul Matthews), Ben Steele Caldwell (Eli), Noah Centineo (Dylan), Michael Cera (Trent), Jessica Clement (Hannah Matthews), Greer Cohen (Grace), Marc Coppola (Sidney), Dominic Di Rosa (Fontaine), Dylan Gelula (Molly), Romona Gilmour-Darling (Portia), Kaleb Horn (Miles), Richard Jutras (Jean), David Klein (Andy), Jesse-Ann Kohlman (Chloe), Noah Lamanna (Jessie), Nicole Leroux (Amandine), Alton Mason (Carter), Marnie McPhail (Claire), Tim Meadows (Brett), Amber Midthunder (Haley), Thomas Mitchell (David), Agape Mngomezulu (Robbie), Julianne Nicholson (Janet Matthews), Josh Richards (Hunter), Star Slade (Greta Matthews), Phillip Van Martin (Claude), Cara Volchoff (Candice), Al Warren (Chris), Caleb Weatherbee (Paul look-alike), Jennifer Wigmore (Kayla)

Running Time: 102 minutes

Classification: MA15+ (Australia), TBC (Thailand), 15 (UK), R (USA)

OUR DREAM SCENARIO REVIEWS

David Griffiths’s Dream Scenario Review

David’s rating Out Of 5

Kyle McGrath’s Dream Scenario Review

Kyle’s rating Out Of 5

Alex First’s Dream Scenario Review

Intriguing and bizarre. That best describes Nicholas Cage’s latest offering as a nondescript tenured professor who becomes an overnight viral sensation.

Cage plays balding and bespectacled evolutionary biology lecturer Paul Matthews.

Matthews is passionate about his chosen area, but struggles to attract the same interest from his students.

He resents the fact that a former classmate has muscled in on a theory he propagated and that she is about to be published in prestigious Nature magazine.

Matthews always thought he had a book in him, but hasn’t started writing it.

Married to Janet (Julianne Nicholson), the pair has two school age daughters – Hannah (Jessica Clement) and Greta (Star Slade).

Suddenly, Matthews starts appearing in regular dreams had by his students, colleagues and associates – even a former girlfriend.

In these, the dreamers are inevitably seen in invidious circumstances and Matthews walks into frame, but fails to help them.

Word of this bizarre happening spreads rapidly and even more see him in their dreams.

Suddenly, Matthews’ classes are filled with inquisitive students and he finds global fame.

Seemingly, everyone wants to see him, meet him and know him.

Even his wife’s boss gives her a leg up, while his younger daughter wants him to drive her to school.

Nobody, least of all him, can explain how or why he appears so frequently in others’ subconsciouses.

That matters nought, as a new age marketing agency is looking to cash in.

And then the script flips and Matthews newly found picture perfect life goes into free fall.

I was totally captivated by the first half of Dream Scenario.

I wished the loopy premise could somehow be true.

I appreciated that an otherwise grounded everyday man could find himself in the limelight.

Writer and director Kristoffer Borgli has done well establishing Matthews’ family and workday dynamic.

Nick Cage and Julianne Nicholson are credible and compelling as husband and wife, replete with insecurities.

The opening scene, which propels the narrative, is eye-catching.

So far, so good … and then we move to the dark side.

Though I can buy into, even applaud, the twist, the filmmaker takes a dive off the 10-metre platform and don’t quite land the entry point.

In other words, I felt that he pushed and pushed and pushed in an endeavour to score big.

As a result, the film compromised some of the credibility it had established.

That’s not to say, the run home didn’t have its moments, for it most certainly did.

In fact, there are still a number of memorable scenes, only that some of the traction was lost, as the previously well measured time frame was hastened. Nevertheless, this darkly comedic psychological horror film retains plenty of bite and is well worth a look.

Alex’s rating Out Of 5

Average Subculture rating Out Of 5

Other Dream Scenario Reviews

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