Dream Scenario

91%

Tomatometer

234 Reviews

68%

Audience Score

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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Dream Scenario

What to Know

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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Critics Reviews

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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

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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

Andrea Thompson

A Reel of One's Own

Thankfully Borgli never allows his commentary on social media, masculinity, and modern celebrity to obscure the fact that our dreams can always potentially contain the sort of magic that can't always be a part of our waking life.

Rated: A-

Jun 10, 2024

Full Review

Alejandro Alemán

El Universal

Nicolas Cage delivers one of his best films, a study on fame, networks, and dreams. [Full review in Spanish]

May 21, 2024

Full Review

Juan Jose Cruz

Cine Premiere

When the credits begin, the feeling of having had one of those great dreams interrupted, and that can never be resumed, arises. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3.5/5

May 17, 2024

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

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TCelts quirky story hilarious at times! Good Cage performance. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • 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 2/5 Stars • 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 4.5/5 Stars • 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 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/15/23 Full Review ken h Still deeply thinking about it Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/13/23 Full Review TONY D movie with a message....stop worshipping celebrities! Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Dream Scenario

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Cast & Crew

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

Dream Scenario: Exclusive Movie Clip - Student Dreams

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Dream Scenario

Dream Scenario: Featurette - Behind the Scenes

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Dream Scenario: Trailer 1

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Dream Scenario

Dream Scenario (2023)

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Movie Info

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
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
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)