Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers in Him.
One of the wildest opening scenes in a movie ever happened in the 1991 film The Last Boy Scout, in which a star running back shoots multiple opposing players in the midst of a touchdown run. That film co-starred Damon Wayans, and now over 30 years later his brother Marlon is starring in an even more insane football-themed movie, Him.
The film centers on Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers), a rising star quarterback looking to make it in professional football. His idol is Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), who’s won a string of championships with San Antonio Saviors in the film’s fictional football league. To see if the team really wants Cade to be White’s heir apparent, they set up a week of pre-draft training for Cade at White’s sprawling desert house.
What at first appears to be an intense-if-ethically-murky immersion into White’s way of staying physically and mentally fit starts to devolve into a psychological quagmire. Cade, who recently suffered a head injury, is desperate to impress White in order to prove he’s the next GOAT. The main thrust of the film is how far Cade will go in that pursuit, and if White’s tactics will succeed in corrupting Cade fully.
Written and directed by Justin Tipping, and co-written by Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie, the film tries to say a lot of things but ultimately can’t make a case for any of them. Scenes involving big collisions and questionable behind-the-scenes tactics comment on the danger of the game of football and the win-at-all-costs mentality. But the film also brings in a supernatural element that muddles anything it might have had to say about the game itself.
There’s actually way less football in the film than you might think. Any actual games are viewed either through a screen or clip montages that don’t give a feel for how talented either Cade or White is. The practice sessions at White’s house aren’t great showcases, either, with the mind games White uses on Cade taking priority. There’s plenty of macho one-upsmanship, but neither main character has the charisma to sell it properly.
The trailer for the film hints at the bloody craziness the third act contains, but Tipping and his team do a poor job at setting it up. While Cade is slightly unnerved at the things he witnesses, he seems to mostly accept everything asked of him. But the character’s mindset changes in a matter of seconds later in the film, almost as if the filmmakers had left 15-20 minutes of footage on the cutting room floor that would have explained the sudden shift in tone.
Wayans, best known for his comedy work with his family, does a decent job in portraying a player who will do whatever it takes to stay on top (the fact that the 54-year-old can credibly play someone much younger helps). Withers has the physique to look like a top-level quarterback, but - as seen in the recent I Know What You Did Last Summer remake - his acting could stand to be refined. It’s actually comedians Tim Heidecker and Jim Jeffries who come off the best in supporting parts.
A football-themed movie like Him coming out just as the football season is ramping up would seem to be perfect timing, but the story doesn’t succeed as either a commentary on the sport or a type of horror film. Football may be a brutal game to play, but sitting through this film might hurt your brain even more.
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Him is now playing in theaters.
