An original sports horror film starring Marlon Wayans and produced by Jordan Peele? Sounds like a classic, right? What could go wrong?
Let’s just say this movie fell short of the first down, currently sitting at 29% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Him” follows college quarterback Cameron Cade, played by Tyriq Withers, who receives an offer to train with his idol following a significant head injury. His idol, quarterback Isaiah White, played by Wayans, is the “GOAT,” and he’s considering retirement after winning eight rings for the San Antonio Saviors.
Wayans’ character invites the young quarterback to an isolated complex in hopes of molding a successor, but the vibes are clearly off from the jump.
Wayans delivers a great performance, as he takes on a more serious yet strange role as the current Saviors quarterback. He was able to maintain a level of comedy in the role, balancing between a lighthearted, humorous persona and a relentless “GOAT” mentality.
Withers was able to draw from his previous football experience — two years as a wide receiver for Florida State University — and looked good from a football standpoint. Coached by QB guru Jordan Palmer in preparation for the role, Withers was able to show off his passing ability and mechanics throughout a number of training montages.
It was hard to watch Withers in the role without thinking back to his breakout “Atlanta” episode, titled “Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga.” His reactions are sometimes underwhelming amid the chaos and strangeness around him, but I think he does a solid job overall.
Julia Fox also stars in the movie, playing a fashion influencer named Elsie, who’s married to White. Though her screentime is limited, her character is incredibly creepy and almost manipulative, impacting the movie more than one might think.
As someone with little to no makeup experience, her look struck me. Her bleached eyebrows and dark blue eyeshadow, coupled with red lipstick and pale cheeks faintly reminded me of Effie from “The Hunger Games.”
Originally advertised as a horror movie, the film would be better described as a psychological sports thriller. It really wasn’t scary — maybe a couple of jump scares at best — but the visuals were at times disorientating, and the characters were often unsettling.
It almost felt like another culty-horror film, but I’m so tired of that subgenre. Having seen “Blink Twice” in 2024 and “Opus” earlier this year, the eeriness and aesthetic have become repetitive.
Speaking of the visuals, the cinematography was incredible. They play around with X-ray vision in some of the football scenes, which was super cool. There are a ton of different shots, and the first half of the film is filmed with quick edits.
To some, the jumps might feel like a lot, but the shots along with the sound design added a disorienting feel that added to the plot. The soundtrack was also constructed well, featuring “Lemonade” by Gucci Mane in a training montage, as well as songs and features from Denzel Curry, Larry June and Mavi.
The movie tries to tackle a lot of serious themes related to football and broader societal issues, which presented a really interesting concept and drew me to the movie in the first place. “Him” discusses masculinity, the exploitation of athletes, celebrity culture, sacrifice, football-related injuries and other related themes.
One of the film’s strongest subplots is its subtle commentary on how football treats Black players like assets. Cameron Cade is more of a prospect than a person — he’s been conditioned all his life and will now be marketed and exploited.
However, with all of these themes at play, the message of the movie gets muddled. If the filmmakers focused most of the movie on injuries and CTE or celebrity culture, I think it would have been more effective. It feels like director Justin Tipping is trying to hit on so many different things, without focusing enough energy on any of them.
This becomes evident in the ending, which is rushed and filled with symbolism that is just thrown in there. It left a lot to be desired after such a strong buildup and leaves the audience with a number of questions.
I’d also like to point out that “produced by Jordan Peele” does not mean written or directed by Jordan Peele. I think a lot of people saw his name attached to the project and immediately thought “Him” would be a classic like “Get Out” or “Us.” In all likelihood, Peele did not have much of an impact on the movie.
All in all, “Him” wasn’t a bad film — it just wasn’t what I was expecting. The cinematography was incredible, the acting stood out and who doesn’t love a sports film? It just seems like the creators bit off more than they could chew.
It’s not a total bust — still a fun watch — but maybe it needed more practice time. I give it a 6.5/10.
