No assembly RequireD

For eighteen weeks every year millions of Americans sit down to watch football. And more specifically the NFL, a league that has captivated so many. For some fandom is everything, while for others being a casual watcher is enough to make those Sundays more enjoyable. But there are those that watch not just to see the game but to dream one day to play in the game. To be a professional football star and possibly just maybe…the greatest of all time. To be the GOAT though comes sacrifice. That is a phrase you will hear repeated and shouted ad nausem throughout Justin Tipping’s HIM. A film that wants you to believe will be the horrific and necessary shakeup the NFL so desperately needs. With the seal of approval from producer Jordan Peele and his production company Monkey Paw, HIM really did have the makings to be the next big thing, in fact with many referring to Peele as the next best voice in horror HIM had a lot to live up to. Some of that expectation is unfair after all Tipping is on his first feature outing and Peele is merely a producer, and yet HIM much like its lead character is coming for the veteran. To make a name for himself in every aspect. That is why it becomes so painful when HIM not only doesn’t live up to its arrogance but also just ends up being one of the biggest letdowns of 2025. In doing so HIM ironically ends up being the one of the things it fears the most, something that has the entire world watching its every move and can never land a touchdown. Maybe HIM doesn’t care all that much to overthrow the veterans that came before especially when it spends a lot of its later half dismantling but it sill is hard to watch this attempt at blending horror and sports (something that should go hand and hand) and never score when it matters most.

Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) is him. He’s been shouting it since he was a little boy watching professional football and more importantly the icon that is Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans). In a stand in for the NFL White plays for the Saviors, a team he literally spills his blood (and snaps his bones) for. For Cameron this is what it takes to be the goat. Sacrifice in every sense, so that is why he spends his entire young life becoming the next big name in college football and in it couldn’t happened at a better time as rumors of White’s retirement heighten and his replacement in the league becomes and all out quest for every scout. But when Cameron is attacked by a mysterious assailant his prospects of a professional team seem at a standstill. Tipping’s initial has all the set up for an intriguing and damning takedown of the pressures on young men especially young men of color in order to obtain access to the professional league. Cameron is a victim of a violent attack and yet he blames himself for the phone no longer ringing. Thankfully his scum of the Earth wannabe Jerry Maguire agent has the next best thing. Isiah White has invited him to his very off the beaten path compound to train. The Goat inviting the kid to his lair of greatness. One of the few great aspects of HIM is in fact Marlon Wayans himself. A comedic master that has consistently delivered great dramatic performances over the years that have been ignored when they are not “Requiem for a Dream.” It is with this that Wayans in himself is seen as a veteran but unlike White is often overlooked for his best attributes. Thankfully Wayans as a performer doesn’t seem to think of all that and instead gives a “fuck it” attitude to his portrayal of what is meant to be the greatest athlete around. From the moment Cameron meets Isaiah there is an instant distance between the two as both Tipping and the performers seem to have a humorous yet respectful agreement that Wayans is above and beyond the best part of this film.

Anyone who knows the world of sports or coherent script writing knows that the greatest athlete also holds his own secrets. It doesn’t take long for Isiah to show some strange and all too intense trademarks that require Cameron to not just be the best at training camp but also to subject him to psychological tests of the body, mind, soul and to take it further sexual appetite. Anyone who has seen an NFL draft day can easily recognize the exaggerated interpretation of the trials many top tier prospects go through when being recruited for the NFL. However no matter how far fetched White makes the situation it all feels grounded in the messed up way we treat first round picks. Pain is a necessity; teammates are teammates until they are slacking and women will come at the disposal of your success. It is all shallow and yet all too honest. So why does HIM a film that understands this fail to succeed in its analyzation. It frankly all comes down to Tipping, oh yea and three other screenwriters. HIM feels like an all hands on deck scenario where nobody knows how to steer the ship. When the film begins its dissection of obsessing over false and dangerous idols it seems almost too good to be true, but Tipping’s wants bigger ideas. Nothing wrong with that but at barely 90 minutes the film saves these larger storytelling ideas for the last few minutes when it is already way beyond regular playtime. White and his own victimization is brought into light at a time where frankly you’d rather have the Isiah White story free from everyone else. Tipping however instead brings in Julia Fox as White’s wife Elsie playing a blend of Love Thy Nader and Chris Crocker which would be super comical if she didn’t leave her acting skills on the “Uncut Gems” cutting room floor. When the film moves away from Isiah and deeper towards Elsie and the white hold that the NFL has on many Black players the film feels like it could be standing out but instead reduces itself to tedious visuals and a redundant script.

But even with all this the biggest downfall of HIM is its belief in itself when it has barely done the work. Who knows if Tipping will be a successful filmmaker but his focus on putting the spotlight on a situation so many are already aware is only groundbreaking if it moves the needle. And yes just saying that feels harsh as it implies that Tipping must be the one to change the NFL procedures, that is far from true, but at the same time what is HIM saying exactly? Is it just laying out the problems? We already know them, and yet it never takes the bold choice on turning the camera on us the viewers who tune in every week to watch a corrupt sport. Instead it settles for blood bath that would be enjoyable if it wasn’t seen as a Hail Mary for an already losing game. HIM is destined to be forgotten which is a shame because why should it be? Sports films are successful, horror films are a key to movie making so why couldn’t the two blend here? Is it because the two are destined to never meet in the middle? No this time around it is because in one’s attempt to be the goat they never stopped to think if they even are worthy of the just being on the field.

C-

HIM IS IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE