Dream Scenario

R

Released Nov 22, 2023

1 hr. 42 min.

Comedy

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

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List

91%

230 Reviews

Tomatometer

68%

100+ Verified Ratings

Audience Score

Hapless family man Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom, in this wickedly entertaining comedy from writer-director Kristoffer Borgli (Sick of Myself) and producer Ari Aster.

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Premiered Apr 09

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Watch Dream Scenario with a subscription on Max, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Critics Consensus

Come to Dream Scenario for career-highlight work from Nicolas Cage -- and leave mulling over everything it has to say about pop culture's fickle whims.

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Audience Consensus

Nicolas Cage is great and Dream Scenario starts out strong, although the ending may frustrate about as often as it entertains.

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TCelts

quirky story hilarious at times! Good Cage performance.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/16/23

Full Review

B

Nicolas Cage and A24 was not the Dream I thought it would be

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/15/23

Full Review

SMITH

It's a good take on not only the real life lore behind a man who was frequently popping up in dreams, but also how some of us feel so unseen and unheard in life and how that desire can go awry. The main character is pretty passive and bland, so when he finds out he's the exact way in dreams, it's deeply upsetting to him. He longs to be exciting, memorable, an active member of these dreams... then he meets the one exception to this, which is where the film takes a darker turn. There are many different meanings to this film (as with all art) and I find myself engaging with all of my thoughts of it. Recommended watch.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/14/23

Full Review

Thomas D

Very A24. Not super dark. If you’re a Nick Cage fan and an A24 fan I’ll really like this one.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/15/23

Full Review

ken h

Still deeply thinking about it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/13/23

Full Review

TONY D

movie with a message....stop worshipping celebrities!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/13/23

Full Review

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Kristoffer Borgli

Director

Nicolas Cage

Paul Matthews

Lily Bird

Sophie Matthews

Julianne Nicholson

Janet Matthews

Jessica Clement

Hannah Matthews

Star Slade

Greta

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Dream Scenario: Exclusive Movie Clip - Student Dreams

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Dream Scenario: Featurette - Behind the Scenes

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Dream Scenario: Trailer 1

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Wenlei Ma

PerthNow

Dream Scenario is a peculiar and provocative film with more ideas than it knows what to do with.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 15, 2024

Full Review

Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

The spectacle of Cage revelling in being boring is perversely entertaining in itself.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 11, 2024

Full Review

Stephen Romei

The Australian

This film is a thoughtful, funny and timely satirical dissection of the cancel culture age in which we live, lifted throughout by Cage’s performance. That he can act is something not even the US Internal Revenue Service can argue with.

Jan 5, 2024

Full Review

Gemma Creagh

Film Ireland Magazine

While there’s a strong hint of classic Kaufman to the surrealism, there’s nothing cliche or predictable in Dream Scenario.

Apr 22, 2024

Full Review

Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

Borgli excels at creating an atmosphere that makes the viewer question whether the scene is happening or a dream. Each dream is like a short and would make a riveting film. It is like having a horror movie short film festival in one movie.

Apr 12, 2024

Full Review

Sebastian Zavala Kahn

Cinencuentro

It tells us a lot about the ephemerality of fame in the modern world, social media, advertising agencies and, somewhat randomly, technology. Nic Cage is sublime and I can't complain about the supporting performances either. Full review in Spanish,

Rated: 4/5

Apr 6, 2024

Full Review

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Synopsis

Hapless family man Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom, in this wickedly entertaining comedy from writer-director Kristoffer Borgli (Sick of Myself) and producer Ari Aster.

Director: Kristoffer Borgli
Screenwriter: Kristoffer Borgli
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Square Peg
Rating: R (Some Sexual Content|Language|Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 22, 2023, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 22, 2023
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.9M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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