We Are Such Stuff as Memes Are Made On: The Movie for a Trippy, Meta-Date Night
Dream Scenario (2023)
Dir. Kristoffer Borgli
"Dream Scenario" is like someone took a sociology lecture, spiked it with absinthe, and then let Nicolas Cage loose on the syllabus. You get a surreal roast of fame, cancel culture, and the inexplicable ways the internet turns people into memes—and then shreds them for sport.
Nic Cage plays Paul Matthews, a professor whose evolutionary biology career (aka snooze fest) suddenly becomes TikTok-level viral when he starts guest-starring in people’s dreams. No, not as a hero or a villain—just some random dude awkwardly lurking, like your high school gym teacher at a party. And that’s what makes it so genius: Paul is the most aggressively unremarkable man alive. A middle-aged, balding academic who somehow hijacks the world’s subconscious. Dream logic? Don’t ask.
At first, Paul rides the wave of fame. Students adore him, news outlets want him, and even his family acts like they didn’t forget his birthday last year. Enter Michael Cera, playing the ultimate tech bro PR guy, pitching Paul as the next big brand mascot. Cue the cringe sex-dream subplot, featuring Dylan Gelula in a scene so painfully awkward it could power a million “When your crush walks in” memes. Fart jokes included.
But fame is a fickle beast. The dreams go from "Paul is there, vibing" to "Paul is a full-on Freddy Krueger nightmare machine." Suddenly, Paul’s students are clutching their pearls, his wife is rethinking her life choices, and the man can’t even walk into Whole Foods without someone throwing shade—or kale.
Kristoffer Borgli’s satire nails our collective obsession with fame and outrage. The film drags you through the rabbit hole of internet culture, where being "noticed" is currency, but being "canceled" is destiny. The commentary is biting, but it never feels preachy. It’s Charlie Kaufman vibes meets the fever dream you get after eating bad shrimp.
Mr. Cage is perfect. He balances the tragic, the pathetic, and the absurd with the kind of finesse only he can muster. You laugh at Paul, but you also kind of feel bad for him. Because, let’s be honest, who hasn’t felt like the world’s punching bag while just trying to exist?
Is it flawless? No. The third act veers dangerously close to SNL territory. But does it matter? Not really. By the end, you’ll be questioning your relationship with memes, trauma, and that one time you almost went viral.
"Dream Scenario" is perfect for a date who’s as online as you are—someone who loves dark humor, biting satire, and can handle a touch of existential awkwardness without flinching. Watch it with someone who can laugh at the absurdities of fame, roll their eyes at clout-chasing, and dissect cancel culture with you over late-night tacos. Best paired with a light cannabis edible to keep the vibes mellow and the laughs rolling—before you find yourself dreaming about Paul Matthews all by yourself.
