Him (2025) is a Long Shot From Earning GOAT Status
Title: Him
First Non-Festival Release: September 18, 2025 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Justin Tipping
Writer: Skip Bronkie, Zack Akers, Justin Tipping,
Runtime: 96 Minutes
Starring: Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
The desire for greatness lives in many, but does the drive? To sacrifice everything in pursuit of a goal, it can be easy to lose sight of the more important parts of life. This can be exemplified perfectly with America’s relationship with football. The research has been here for decades regarding the physical dangers of the sport but demands from franchise owners, agents, fans, and even players themselves stymie safety efforts. Is it worth it?
Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) thinks so. Cameron is the hottest recruit on the market for the United States Football Federation’s draft until a surprise attack leaves him with a brain injury. One phone call from his agent (Tim Heidecker) changes his career trajectory, effectively reversing the professional damage the attack did. All Cameron has to do is train for one week at San Antonio Savior’s star quarterback Isaiah White’s (Marlon Wayans) compound. Enamored that his role model and the undisputed great of professional football sees greatness in him, Cameron agrees. Once there, he’s subject to more than just a few grueling workouts.
A stylistic mess, Him struggles to find its identity and what exactly it is trying to say with its sports horror tale.
Him doesn’t know what kind of movie it is or aspires to be. As Cameron glides through each day at the compound, the horror shifts into something new. While one might argue that the ever-changing presence keeps the audience on edge, it confuses more than anything. Shifting between body horror, supernatural horror, home invasion horror, and cult horror, the lack of a consistent antagonist, or direction it is taking, makes it difficult to stay invested. It also blunts any tension that can form. Amidst the dazzling nightmares and hallucinations, there’s no connective tissue ensuring the story moves alongside its horror.
This confusion bleeds into the messaging. Much like the wayward cross-section of American youth experiencing the “male loneliness epidemic,” Him has a self-inflicted identity crisis of wanting everything without doing the necessary work to achieve its goals. There’s plenty to critique in the American football industry: player’s health and safety taking a backseat to executive’s eye on profit, the culture of toxic masculinity, sweeping real crimes under the rug that would otherwise be a public relations nightmare, the psychological damage celebrity worship inflicts, etc. Him somehow tackles all of this and none at the same time. Hovering over each idea as if a brief mention checks the necessary boxes, the lack of focus detracts from the overall story and makes Him feel rushed.
Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans give commendable performances despite having little in the way of consistent character work in the script. Withers’ Cameron is a tabula rasa that never quite develops past his good guy, family man persona draped in the desire for greatness. Withers has the charisma and talent; he’s just lacking the script here. Wayans gets to have more fun with Isaiah. Leaning into the braggadocios yet dangerous allure of celebrity-dom, Wayans delivers a solid performance despite the terrible dialogue he’s strapped with selling.
Despite the glaring holes in the writing, Him is stylish in a way that verges on garish without ever actually crossing into that territory. The world of United States Football Federation is dark and seedy. Awash in a hazy, almost dreamlike atmosphere, Him oftentimes feels like a waking nightmare. The blurry lines between the physical and the psychological fight against the pounding soundtrack and pretty colors, allowing Him to wage war against Cam and the audience. While it can get overwhelming at times, the hallucinatory approach to horror certainly leaves an impression.
A befuddling studio effort boasting a unique concept, great cast, and excellent production values fumbles the ball thanks to its excruciatingly messy story. Its style over substance approach to the horrors of football only scratches the surface for the underserved sub-genre and the tepid response of Him doesn’t bode well for more stories exploring this subculture. Far from the “Greatest of All Time,” Him will likely fade to obscurity after the dust settles from its lackluster game.
Overall Score? 5/10
