Nicolas Cage plays loser in offbeat fantasy comedy

“Dream Scenario” is a satire on the image society, which praises or pelts its icons.

After Sick of Myself, who was already exploring the world of appearances, the Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli returns with an offbeat fantasy comedy, starring an exceptional Nicolas Cage in the role of a high-end loser propelled into the turmoil of social networks. Dream scenario hits theaters on December 27.

Paul Matthews, in his fifties, professor of biology at the university, married with two daughters, lives a quiet life in a residential suburb, when his life is suddenly turned upside down by a strange phenomenon: millions of people begin to dream of him. Having become a media star in a few weeks, and the object of all desires, he hopes to take advantage of the situation to realize a thirty-year-old dream: to publish a book devoted to his scientific research. But the dream will quickly turn into a nightmare…

The downsides of fame

Paul is not the most charismatic man on the planet: his daughters find him nerdy, he is never invited to his university colleague’s rather exclusive dinners, and it is a former classmate who draws glory from his research in biology.

Because he has mysteriously invaded the dreams of millions of people, this insignificant and clumsy individual becomes overnight “the most important person in the world”. Feeling himself growing wings, Paul rushes into this adventure, convinced that his new fame will allow him to finally take his destiny in his hands, and escape his life full of frustrations, which he considers mediocre.

But the machine turns against him. As quickly as fame had arrived, he plummeted like a failed elevator down the ladder of popularity, suddenly ostracized and victim of “Cancel culture”. In either case, Paul has actually done nothing to deserve what is happening to him. “It’s an interesting idea: having done nothing wrong, but having the whole world turn against you,” notes the director.

“Highs and lows”

Kristoffer Borgli’s film highlights the failings of a tyrannical media society in which anyone can go from star status to renegade status in the blink of an eye, without any connection with reality. A form of propaganda deployed without motive and without purpose, revealing the emptiness of a world ruled solely by the power of images. The idea of ​​creating this notoriety in the dreams of millions of people appears to be the ultimate metaphor for the illusion conveyed by social networks, which give everyone the impression of being able to achieve fame.

Nicolas Cage was, he says, immediately seduced by this scenario, in which he found himself. “I felt that, because of my experience, I could play this character, because I too am in the spotlight and I have also experienced ups and downs in the public eye”explains the actor, who has been the subject of numerous “memes” (parodic misappropriations of images or videos) on the web.

The production skillfully mixes realism and dreamlike scenes, shot like mini-parodies of fantasy or horror films. An alchemy full of fun in which Nicolas Cage works wonders. Dressed in beige sweaters and brown checkered shirts, a bulky parka permanently on his back and a remnant of well-combed hair around the bald spot, the American actor plays a loser character rarely pushed to such extremes, both funny and moving.

Isn’t our real life, even imperfect and full of frustrations, better than all this great media circus? This is the question posed with humor in this second feature film, a little sluggish at times, but caustic, by Kristoffer Borgli.

The sheet

Gender : Comedy, Fantasy
Director: Kristoffer Borgli
Actors: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera
Country : UNITED STATES
Duration : 1h 41min
Exit : December 27, 2023
Distributer : Metropolitan FilmExport
Synopsis : Paul Matthews, an ordinary professor, sees his life turned upside down when he begins to appear in the dreams of millions of people. Paul then becomes a sort of media phenomenon, but his newfound celebrity will quickly take an unexpected turn…