O Homem dos Sonhos

After the first half hour of this movie, i thought it was going somewhere amazing, it was funny and clever and nic cage is just really good in the mane role.

But i don't think it did nt he 2nd half of the movie, it kind of faded out, and missed such a massive oppotunity.

It's still a good movie, but it completely went in a different direction in the last half hour than i thought it would. Which was just such a shame.

Such a missed oppotunity in my book, but still worth a watch. When the dreams turn darker i think there was such a great set up for a better last half hour or so. Shame.

Worth watching but didn't reach it's potential.

The first eighty percent of this film was excellent - it felt like the best Stephen King story that King didn't write. The slow destruction of the life of an ordinary man for reasons which were completely outside his control was well-conceived, well-plotted and well acted. Nicholas Cage's performance was pitch perfect.

To an extent, this film can be seen as a satirical condemnation of social media fame and cancel culture, though that's secondary to the theme of mounting paranoia - both from Prof Matthews and the wider world.

The fact that this film started out as a project of Ari Aster is no surprise, as it has much in common with Beau is Afraid - notably the hapless and powerless central character and some surreal and blackly comic moments.

Then, in the last fifteen minutes or so, the film loses its way. A new element is brought in which pretty much undermines what had gone before. The result wasn't bad, exactly, but seemed to belong in a different film. I think it would've been better if the film had had the courage of its convictions and followed Prof Matthews to his logical fate.

For all that, it's an interesting film, and I would urge you to see it.

First, I recommend going into Dream Scenario knowing as little as possible about the movie. Avoid trailers, even synopses (maybe even this review). Discovering the premise is as enjoyable as the rest of the movie.

But even after being amused by this unique and creative premise, it didn't seem like there was anywhere else for this idea to go. But there's no reason to worry. The directions it takes are just as creative as the premise.

Even though it's very different, this gave me Eternal Sunshine vibes, especially with how original it feels. The humor is fairly dry, which I normally don't like. But it made me laugh a decent amount, usually loudly. And there are a few moments that hit hard.

Nick Cage. Oh Nick Cage. I watch all his movies. Most are bad, but Dream scenario is part of the resurgence (along with Massive Talent). And even though most people just want to see his hilarious freakouts, here he reminds us that he is one of the most talented actors out there. I haven't forgotten. I would love to see it more often.

(2 viewings, 12/22/2023, 7/25/2025)

Horror Comedy? Uhm, yeah, no. Sure, there's a handful of funny moments and some scary stuff but it's far from being a horror comedy. This is a very traditional "Nicolas Cage" drama, through and through. It has an air of humor and awkwardness throughout all of it due to his performance, but overall, there's a bigger picture behind it. Oddly enough, in a lot of ways it felt like a very late companion piece to Cage's performance in The Weather Man, a movie where his character also deals with consequences of fame while dealing with a crumbling family life. The biggest difference is that Dream Scenario leans farther into the consequences of fame that celebrities never asked for and that consumers fail to understand because of the media. This is a very sad and upsetting movie that I would say accurately captures that feeling of not having control of your life. It's definitely among the best films I've seen this year.

Dream Scenario is a really funny look at unexpected fame and how it's impossible to control how others interpret it. A be careful what you wish for story that's a lot stronger when primarily focusing on how fame changes a person than when it delves into cancel culture.

Uncomfortable with how his own image has been interpreted, Nicolas Cage is the ideal person for this. He plays the pitiful nature of Paul beautifully and brings none of the Cage rage he's synonymous with, in a nice change of pace. The film also feels aware of Cage's persona, understanding everything is funnier and weirder because it's Nic Cage specifically.

Kristoffer Borgli's direction really nails the dream sequences in particular. They're very surreal (obviously), brief and when they start to turn into nightmares they really don't hold back on the violence. It also has the second most hilariously awkward sex scene of recent memory, with Beau Is Afraid being number one which is so fitting since Ari Aster is a producer on this.