Disappointments

Kathleen Norris on DISAPPOINTMENTS

It’s painful when films don’t work as well as I want them to. The premise of Dream Scenario (above) sounded great: a professor starts to appear in the dreams of his students and friends, as well as millions of strangers. If anyone can make a goofy plot like this work, it’s Nicolas Cage. And he doesn’t disappoint, providing a good dose of satire in his portrayal of Paul Matthews, a hapless professor of evolutionary biology contending with “publish or perish” academia. Appearing as a silent, harmless presence in others’ dreams suddenly makes him famous.

But when the dreams become nightmares with Paul as a malevolent, violent character, he faces public ostracism, rejection, and the loss of his job. Reporters who had fawned over Paul now attack him. His students assail him and walk out of his classes. And the movie fumbles: what might have been a wry commentary on our society’s obsession with celebrity and our indulgence in “cancel culture” feels heavy-handed, loading the film with more weight than it can bear.