This bit of wisdom was posted on Twitter by user @maplecocaine in January 2019: “Each day on Twitter there is one main character. The goal is never to be it.” Social media promised to fulfill the techno-utopian dream of the internet by connecting every human being on the planet, but there was a reason that, even before the carnage of pandemic information warfare, Twitter’s heaviest users called it a “hellsite.” The reality of universal connection is that you’re a few milliseconds away from every asshole on Earth. Fame has unpleasant side effects, and that goes double for internet fame, which can be both unexpected and unintentional. When everyone knows your name, you become less of a human being and more of a symbol. Elon Musk is currently finding this out the hard way.
Fame in the internet age is the subject of Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario. Like many directors before him, his best decision was casting Nicolas Cage as his lead. Cage plays Paul Matthews, a biology professor at a sleepy Midwestern liberal arts college. Paul has done some pioneering work on hive minds, which he calls “antelligence,” but his book on the subject is languishing while his former colleagues get all the credit.
One day, he notices a lot of strangers staring at him on the street. Then, he runs into his ex-girlfriend Claire (Marnie McPhail), who tells Paul she’s been dreaming about him. This doesn’t go over very well with Paul’s jealous wife Janet (Julianne Nicholson), but she takes some comfort in the fact that he’s not doing much, just watching the dream unfold along with the dreamer. Soon, other people realize that Paul is the weird guy showing up in their dreams, and he becomes an internet sensation. His biology lectures go from sparsely attended to overflowing. Paul is, at first, amused and excited about his newfound notoriety. Maybe he can use his fame to get his book published. But he can’t help but be a little disappointed that he never seems to actually do anything in the dreams but watch.
But as the phenomenon spreads, Paul gets his wish, and his image becomes an active participant in dreamtime. For some people, his presence is benevolent. For others, like Molly (Dylan Gelula), it’s erotic. But most people see Paul trying to murder them in ways director Borgli has way too much fun staging.
Paul’s celebrity sours. The endorsement contract with Sprite, which marketing guru Trent (Michael Cera) painstakingly negotiated, is suddenly off the table. When Paul tries to hook up with his dream lover Claire IRL, it leads to one of the least erotic sex scenes ever committed to film. Even though real Paul has done nothing wrong, he is barred from his daughter’s school and forced to make an apology video. Naturally, that only makes things worse.
As usual, Cage is better than the material — and nobody does “schlub” better. But in this case, Borgli’s screenplay is thoughtful, and his execution is always impeccable. When the metaphor gets stretched thin, Cage is there to beam a goofy smile or wet his pants or do literally anything asked of him with manic charisma and superhuman intensity. Dream Scenario is a comedy that gets in your head.
Dream Scenario
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