A24's Dream Scenario: An Original But Ultimately Shallow Nightmare Comedy
Key Highlights :
Dream Scenario, A24’s new film starring Nicolas Cage, is a quirky, original, and ultimately shallow nightmare comedy. The film follows Paul Matthews (Cage), a tenured college professor whose life is turned upside down when he begins appearing in other people’s dreams. His newfound fame quickly turns to infamy when his dream appearances turn into terrifying nightmares. While Dream Scenario scores points for its original execution, it doesn’t have anything new to say.
Nicolas Cage gives a perfectly over-the-top performance as Paul Matthews, and Michael Cera and Julianne Nicholson’s standout supporting turns add to the film’s charm. There are several inspired dream sequences, but the second and third acts become repetitive and the finale just barely misses the mark.
Dream Scenario is heavily indebted to the works of Charlie Kaufman and the Coen Brothers, but it never achieves the same level of emotional insight or introspection. The film has a lot on its mind, but it fails to enter the canon of great neurotic comedies.
The film explores the real-life costs of achieving public notoriety in the 21st century, and its focus is unwaveringly trained on the gulf between who we want to be and who we really are. While Paul’s cameos in other people’s dreams give him the attention he’s long wanted, it’s not enough to make him the man he desperately wants to become.
Cage’s performance is both cartoonishly over-the-top and deeply felt, and Dream Scenario is at its most compelling when it explores Paul’s inner conflict. However, the film’s effectiveness quickly begins to plummet when Paul’s lucky streak vanishes and it shifts its focus away from its lead’s many shortcomings.
The second half of the film is packed with scenes ripped from online headlines, but no matter how scathing the filmmaker’s criticisms of mob mentality are, they’re still less interesting than the internal conflict raging within Cage’s Paul. The film indulges in a charming epilogue, but it fails to bring all of its ideas together in a satisfying fashion.
Dream Scenario is an occasionally hilarious, frequently frustrating comedy that has a lot on its mind, but very little new to say. It may not enter the canon of great neurotic comedies, but it does succeed as a showcase for Cage’s oft-venerated star power. The film is now playing in theaters.
