Him Has Got Style to Burn and Not Much Else

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The idea behind the movie *Him* is so clever and entertaining, I almost want to see someone else create their own version of it. It centers around a promising young football quarterback recovering from an injury, who gets a chance to train with a seasoned, championship-winning veteran who might be thinking about retirement. As things get weirder and more unsettling, it becomes obvious the veteran isn’t willing to give up his position to the younger player. It’s like a hyper-charged version of *All About Eve* mixed with the football world of *Any Given Sunday*, and a touch of the unsettling atmosphere of *The Wicker Man*.

Or it could have been, at any rate.

While Jordan Peele is credited as a producer on *Him*, the film was actually directed by Justin Tipping, who previously made the visually striking indie film *Kicks* in 2016. Since then, Tipping has been working steadily in television, and *Him* feels like he’s letting loose all his pent-up creativity, employing a wide range of filmmaking techniques. At times, the movie comes across as a very polished student film – it’s clearly trying hard to showcase its technical skill.

While visually interesting, the movie *Him* doesn’t quite live up to its billing as a football horror film. It’s set primarily at the extravagant desert estate of Isaiah White, a famous football quarterback for the San Antonio Saviors, whose fans border on being a cult. The estate itself feels like a classic villain’s lair, filled with large rooms, statues, and unusual imagery, while the surrounding landscape is bleak and unsettling. The story begins with an attack on promising college player Cameron Cade, an injury that threatens his career. Determined to prove himself, Cam travels to Isaiah’s strange and over-the-top compound, hoping to showcase his talent, despite the unsettling atmosphere and devoted, almost fanatical, followers.

The film is visually stunning and bizarre, but ultimately lacks substance. Isaiah manipulates Cam with a mix of insults, encouragement, and tempting visions of a life with his glamorous wife, Julia Fox. This psychological game seems intended either to make Cam a star or to break him completely. Marlon Wayans delivers a fantastic performance – he’s incredibly expressive yet remains enigmatic, keeping the audience guessing his true intentions. (And he looks amazing – realizing he’s a year older than me was a bit of a shock!) The film’s most gripping scene involves Isaiah forcing Cam to complete football drills under intense pressure, with another player taking a painful hit if Cam fails. The exchange that follows highlights the callousness of the situation: when Cam asks about the injured player, he’s met with a harsh response questioning his genuine concern.

The film begins by establishing a key theme: Cam idolizes football star Isaiah, particularly his ability to overcome injuries. Cam’s father, a soldier, instills in him a traditional idea of masculinity – sacrifice and resilience – with the phrase, “No guts, no glory.” This idea is passed down through generations. Although Cam’s father is now deceased, likely a casualty of war, that message continues to resonate. The movie repeatedly emphasizes this theme, but doesn’t explore its complexities, leading to a predictable storyline. The film briefly touches on the challenges Isaiah faced as a Black quarterback, noting the immense pressure to excel, but this important aspect feels underdeveloped.

The film *Him* seems to critique the excessive displays of power and tradition in football and broader concepts of masculinity – things like aggressive nationalism, religious fervor, and physical dominance. However, its over-the-top visuals actually feel *at home* during a game. Football already embraces this kind of spectacle – exploding helmets, robotic players, and players presented as heroic statues with fighter jets flying by. Because the NFL is *already* so visually dramatic, the film’s attempts to critique it through even more extreme imagery simply get absorbed into the existing spectacle instead of challenging it.

The movie only manages to become increasingly bizarre, ultimately leading nowhere interesting. It gets so over-the-top and visually chaotic that it loses touch with anything resembling reality. While embracing such a fantastical style could have been a deliberate artistic choice, the director seems to want the story to remain logically consistent, too. This creates a problem because it’s difficult to feel invested in the characters or their struggles when everything feels so detached from the real world. Ultimately, the film is visually impressive – a wild, overblown display of masculine fantasy – but it lacks substance.

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2025-09-18 08:54