2023 ‧ Black Comedy/Fantasy ‧ 100m
Occasionally the genesis of a film can be boiled down to a simple question. Daniel Kwan asked, “What if my mom was in the Matrix?” and that question produced Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. With his third feature, Dream Scenario, Kristoffer Borgli asks: “What if Freddy Krueger was sad?” Joking aside, the Springwood Slasher is name checked a couple of times so the filmmakers encourage the comparison.
Paul Matthews, Nic Cage, is a tenured evolutionary biology professor at a New England university. He has a wife and two daughters and is very non-descript. A generic middle-aged white man. One evening, an old girlfriend runs into him and says she had been lately dreaming of him a lot. She writes a blog post about the dreams and soon many others say they too have been dreaming of Paul. This causes him to go viral. At first, Paul is merely a bystanderin the dreams. Something outlandish will be happening, such as an earthquake or a bed surrounded by alligators, and Paul simply walks in. Paul has to contend with his newfound fame, which then takes a turn as everyone’s dreams with him turn into nightmares.
Fans of Cage’s acting will be treated to a performance of range. Reality Paul and Dream Paul are very different personas and Cage really revels in the roles. It’s essential Cage. Paul’s family has to deal with much of the negative side effects of his fame and their performances add a realness to a ridiculous situation. Michael Cera and Tim Meadows have memorable, if more understated, roles as well. Julianne Nicholson, playing Paul’s wife Janet, gives the best performance of the supporting characters. She brings a grounded sense to the story. The dream sequences are a great feature. Borgli often chooses darker subject manner for them, but there is still a flavor of whimsy in most of them. That whimsy might be what keeps the film from being a little too dire. The film never forgets the absurdity of the situation and has several laugh out loud moments.
Despite the obvious Elm Street connection and a number of disturbing sequences, Dream Scenario is not a horror film. But perhaps keeping it lean and mean, like an 80s slasher, may have served the story better. The concept might not have enough steam for 100 minutes. This is more of a scripting issue than an editing one. Had Borgli written it with perhaps an 85-minute target, he likely would have had a stronger and more impactful film. There are also some eye-rolling moments about Gen Z sensitivities and cancel culture that sours enjoyment, but it does fit the characters.
Dream Scenario may not totally live up to its core concept, but it is an entertaining and fascinating watch.
Grade: B-
~Andrew
