Dream Scenario

Directed by Kristoffer Borgli, Dream Scenario follows Nicolas Cage’s Paul Matthews as he achieves a fair degree of notoriety after he begins appearing in strangers’ dreams. It’s an undeniably unique premise that is, at the outset, employed to engaging and compelling effect by Borgli, as the filmmaker, working from his own screenplay, does an effective job of establishing the off-kilter central character and the decidedly unusual situation in which he finds himself – with the agreeable atmosphere heightened by Cage’s impressively immersive and lived-in turn as the schlubby protagonist. And while the movie’s first half is littered with inventive, entertaining sequences and set-pieces, including a recurring emphasis on Paul’s appearances in various dreams, Dream Scenario ultimately progresses into an underwhelming second half that slowly-but-surely drains the viewer’s interest and attention – with the arms-length vibe perpetuated by an eye-rolling emphasis on on-the-nose bits of cancel-culture-related satire (ie it’s all just so obvious and over-the-top). The end result is a distressingly half-baked endeavor that fizzles out to a frustrating degree, which is a shame, certainly, given the seemingly can’t-miss setup and the strength of Cage’s surprisingly captivating efforts.

** out of ****