Dream Scenario

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2:24

Dream Scenario

R

Released Nov 22, 2023

1h 42m

Fantasy

Horror

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

236 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

100+ Verified Ratings

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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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 Says

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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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

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Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

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

Rated: 3/5

Jan 11, 2024

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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

Katie Hogan

She Likes Movies

Dream Scenario won’t go down in Cage history as one of his best performances or best films. Interesting concept for sure but beyond that, it would be best to let this film fall into the ether.

Nov 13, 2024

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Ally Ham

The Review Geek

While Dream Scenario often feels provocative for provocation’s sake, it’s not without its pockets of profundity.

Rated: 7/10

Oct 7, 2024

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Calum Cooper

Flick Feast

Borgli examines what happens to one’s self-image when thrust into the spotlight so suddenly, and when that goes wrong, what lasting harm is left?

Rated: 4/5

Jul 19, 2024

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Alfred

Loved it, the last quarter of the movie wasn’t as strong as the rest but still enjoyed it. Some scenes absolutely killed me. Plus it has Nicolas Cage, so I already had a reason to see it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/23/24

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TCelts

quirky story hilarious at times! Good Cage performance.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/16/23

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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

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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: Featurette - Behind the Scenes

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Dream Scenario: Trailer 1

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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
Producer: Ari Aster, Tyler Campellone, Jacob Jaffke, Lars Knudsen, Nicolas Cage
Screenwriter: Kristoffer Borgli
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Square Peg, Quebec Film and Television Tax Credit, A24
Rating: R (Some Sexual Content|Language|Violence)
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 22, 2023, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 22, 2023
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.9M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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