Dream Scenario
Dream Scenario
Hapless family man Paul Matthews 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.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 2, 2025
Incredible premise with another gripping lead performance from Nicolas Cage as Paul Matthew’s, a tenured university professor that inexplicably starts popping up in everyone’s dreams. It starts with his daughter, then an ex-flame, but soon includes complete strangers. What irks Paul most is that in all of these dreams he seems incapable of taking action. He simply watches and is effectively rendered impotent, literally and figuratively. I loved this interplay of perception vs reality. In reality, Paul is incapable of taking action. He fails to stand up against a colleague that he believes stole some of his research. He repeated has opportunities to advocate for himself, but he backs away every time. But when everyone else starts to see him as a man of inaction in their dreams, it’s fascinating how public perception of your self can chance your own actual self perception. It’s one thing if you think you’re a loser, but it’s something else if everyone else thinks you are.
The film also takes a surface level look at fame and cancel culture. It’s not nearly as nuanced Tár for example, but I loved that in this instance, Paul literally has no control over his own fame since it’s entirely encompassed within other people’s dreams. As such he has no control over when the fallout hits. I especially loved how when he finally publicly apologizes for his “actions” he’s criticized for being self serving.
Even though, I felt this fizzles in the last 20-25 minutes or so, I think it’s worth checking out. And it’s a no brainer for Cage fans. He is excellent as always. Fantastic Michael Cera cameo also.