‘Him’ stars Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers as two football players sent together to an isolated retreat.
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Certainly being released at the most appropriate time of year, “Him” is a psychological horror-sports film of sorts starring Marlon Wayans (“White Chicks,” “Scary Movie”) as Isaiah White, a charismatic football legend teasing retirement. His franchise is scouting out a possible quarterback replacement, Cameron Wade, a wide-eyed new talent in the league.
Both men are afforded a weeklong isolated retreat to bond, train, and ultimately, unbeknownst to newbie Cameron, groom the prospective athlete. With the backing and name recognition of Hollywood heavyweight Jordan Peele behind this trippy project, “Him” certainly seemed to be in the proper endzone.
With an opening weekend box office at just over $13 million, just like its tricky storyline and lukewarm reviews, “Him” will hardly be a film to make a touchdown. Rather, more than likely, this kaleidoscope vision will be a fumble.
I give it credit for being visionary and unique, without question. I certainly wasn’t bored and was intrigued by this star-marking performance by Tyriq Withers, who was not only easy on the eyes, but carried depth. Over the top and written to make the viewers question this alternate reality, it’s kind of like how we now question the reality of our current governmental administration. Oh wait, is free speech still on the table as of today?
Marlon Wayans, an actor usually known for his ridiculously silly comedies, flexes with his best performance here no doubt. Like most football gods of today, his character Isaiah comes with an ego about as overinflated as what the New England Patriots should have been tossing in 2015 during the infamous “Deflategate” scandal.
“Him” proves to be jarring and intense, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing if you chose to sit this one out on the sidelines and maybe wait for it to be streaming. While I will always applaud going to support your local cineplexes, in this case, free at home sounds more like a touchdown to me!
REVIEW
“Him”
Starring: Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers
Christopher’s “Meow” Score: 6/10 paws.
Christopher Vernon is a proud NEPA resident and award-winning writer and author. He began writing film reviews on his page ‘The Movie Meow’ in 2018. His favorite two films of all time are ‘Thelma & Louise’ and ‘Million Dollar Baby.’ And of course you guessed it, Chris adores cats.
