A24
After more than 100 credits, Nicolas Cage finally has his dream role, at least for comedy fans. A slovenly, bald college professor, he suddenly appears in people’s dreams, first his daughter’s, then an old friend’s, and soon millions of people around the world are seeing this ordinary-looking, very plain guy through them area you go to sleep in a rather indescribable way, no matter the situation. He becomes a phenomenon until it is reversed and the whole thing becomes a literal nightmare.
This is the inspired comic book premise of Dream Scenario, perhaps the most brilliant movie idea that Woody Allen never had, although it would have been interesting if he had (think twisted Zelig). Instead, it comes from the mind of Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli, whose main claim to fame before this film, which had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival this weekend, was the Cannes 2022 entry Sick of Myself. But “Dream Scenario” marks his English-language debut, and based on this characterful, deadpan, downright hilarious film, it could be the answer to the question: Who is the world’s next big comedy filmmaker talent? In addition to writing and directing the film, he also serves as his own film editor, which could be one reason why the comedic rhythms of this film are absolutely brilliant.
Cage, who is a stunner as the affable, low-key everyman who suddenly gets his 15 minutes of fame, is clearly in tune with what his director had in mind, even adjusting his voice for maximum effect, as well as his familiar appearance. Borgli often simply shows the same smiling photo of Cage’s character Paul Matthews on screen, always getting a big laugh.
What’s remarkable is how Borgli manages to turn what was essentially a joke premise into a 101-minute film without the soufflé falling flat – no easy task. Paul Matthews is like a million ordinary people wandering the planet – you wouldn’t give him a second glance – except he somehow appears in other people’s dreams. At the beginning of the theater there is a very funny encounter in which Paul and his wife Janet, who did not have a dream in which he appears (one of the best jokes), meet an old friend who tells him about the dream she had only thought about him after last seeing him decades ago and never thinking about him. He’s taken aback, Janet a little concerned, but soon it escalates, first among his students and then everywhere. He becomes a bona fide celebrity, but all Paul really wants is a publishing deal for his book idea about ants (which others misunderstand as being about plants). There’s even a big company called Thoughts, run by baseball-capped CEO Trent (Michael Cera) and his associate Mary (Kate Berlant), who ask him to sell him their “ideas” for him. as noted Sprite is already on board and has the idea of doing an ad where Paul enters dreams with his product. Even a film deal is possible, they say, but Paul just wants help with his dream book proposal. In a comical climax, a young woman (Dylan Gelula) has sexual dreams about Paul that turn into a “date” as she tries to make the dream come true. You can imagine where this leads, but it produces the kind of laughs that comedy theater writers dream of.
However, things start to go wrong and Paul’s fate changes when the dreams he appears in turn into Freddy Krueger-style horror movies and everyone is now scared to death of this guy who is giving them nightmares. Even his class doesn’t appear.
Cage is the glue; His seemingly effortless timing and priceless reactions stick to that premise, and he keeps you laughing all the time. The actor has enjoyed a renaissance of late with acclaimed work in offbeat films like Pig and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. He’s already said he thinks this is his best film and that’s saying a lot. The jokes almost always land in a smart, thoughtful manner that makes this comedy shine. The supporting cast, especially Cera, play it perfectly too.
Comedy has been an endangered species in Hollywood lately, but if Dream Scenario is any indication, they could come back with a vengeance if the right talent gets their chance. Borgli is certainly one of them.
Producers are Lars Knudsen, Ari Aster, Tyler Campellone, Jacob Jaffke and Cage.
Title: Dream scenario
Distributor: A24 films
Release date: November 10, 2023
Festival: Toronto Film Festival (Platform)
Director-screenwriter: Kristoffer Borgli
Pour: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Lily Bird, Jessica Clement, Tim Meadows, Michael Cera, Kate Berlant, Dylan Gelula, Cara Volchoff, Noah Centineo, Nicholas Braun, Dylan Baker
Duration: 1 hour 41 minutes