(L to R) Tyriq Withers is Cam, Marlon Wayans is Isaiah, and Maurice Greene is Malek in ‘Him’, directed by Justin Tipping. © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Opening in theaters September 19 is ‘Him,’ directed by Justin Tipping and starring Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies, Maurice Greene, Tierra Whack, Don Benjamin, and Naomi Grossman.
“Greatness demands sacrifice.”
Release Date: Sep 19, 2025
Run Time: 1 hr 36 min
Budget: $27,000,000
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Initial Thoughts
Tyriq Withers as Cameron Cade in ‘HIM’, directed by Justin Tipping. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Producer Jordan Peele’s name is prominent in the marketing for ‘Him,’ a film that lands in a category that might be called ‘sports horror.’ But while the Peele brand is associated with socially conscious genre fare – particularly the films he’s directed, like ‘Get Out’ and ‘Nope’ – he turns the reins here over to Justin Tipping, who helmed the 2016 urban drama ‘Kicks.’
While Peele himself might have had a different outcome with ‘Him,’ Tipping does not seem on sure footing here. In fact, in an attempt to make ‘Him’ as dream-like and surreal as he can, Tipping turns the film into a progressively manic and borderline nonsensical string of sequences that are edited in such haphazard fashion as to almost induce withdrawal in the viewer. Though not without its merits, ‘Him’ turns out to be the cinematic equivalent of a game that got away.
Story and Direction
(from left) Marlon Wayans, director Justin Tipping and Tyriq Withers on the set of ‘HIM’, directed by Justin Tipping. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) is an up-and-coming college football star who many pundits see as the heir apparent to Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), the rumored-to-be-retiring superstar quarterback of the fictional San Antonio Saviors. But when a senseless attack leaves Cam with a serious head injury and his career on the line, Isaiah invites him to come train at his secluded underground compound out in the desert, where Isaiah himself will personally determine whether Cam can still make the cut – and help him get there.
It sounds too good to be true, and right off the bat it is: Isaiah’s massive crib/training facility is one of those labyrinthine, vault-like places, full of weird art and winding corridors, that automatically screams ‘bad things happen here.’ Sure enough, Cam’s training becomes increasingly unorthodox and violent, while Isaiah begins to behave in ways that are erratic and even dangerous. As the crucial date for Cam’s meeting with the owners of the Saviors draws near, it becomes apparent that he may have to fight not just for his signing bonus, but for his life.
(L to R) Marlon Wayans (as Isaiah), director Justin Tipping, and Tyriq Withers (as Cam) on the set of ‘HIM’, from Universal Pictures.
‘Him’ lets us know early on that it’s using horror as a metaphor for the toxic masculinity and abusive culture that permeates professional sports. In an early flashback, Cam as a boy watches Isaiah get gravely injured on live television during a playoff game. ‘That’s what men do,’ intones his (soon-to-be-deceased) father. ‘They sacrifice. No guts, no glory.’ Later, at Isaiah’s compound, Isaiah repeatedly barks, ‘This isn’t a f**king game!’ His staff physician injects Cam daily with some unknown substance. Even the cult of personality around certain sports stars gets a sharp poke thanks to the menacing Isaiah fans that hang around outside the gates.
This could all be worthy material in the right hands, and indeed the script by Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie made the prestigious Black List of unproduced screenplays. But Tipping turns it all into a mashup of music video, montage compilation, and fever dream, with frenetic editing, battering-ram sound, and occult imagery that makes less and less sense as it goes on. Perhaps the idea is to make us feel like we’re inside Cam’s already damaged head, but instead of a rising tide of dread and tension we’re just subjected to a string of barely connected episodes that make us feel instead like the movie is falling apart. By the time we find out the answer to what’s behind it all, we no longer care nor are we even sure what the hell it is.
Cast and Performances
Marlon Wayans is Isaiah in ‘HIM’, directed by Justin Tipping. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Although his performance is big – and increasingly over the top and beyond — Marlon Wayans easily holds the screen here. His Isaiah White is charismatic and charming until he’s not – and then he sometimes is again, even after going off the rails one scene earlier. Wayans’ natural presence and abilities provide the most interest in ‘Him,’ especially in one quiet scene toward the end that allows some insight into the character of Isaiah for a moment (“Find your own way to greatness,” he tells Cam, “Don’t be me”) before the mayhem starts up again.
We can’t quite say the same for Tyriq Withers. The former college football star (for real) has the physical prowess and good looks to make for a credible rising phenom, but except for a flash of rage or sadness here and there Withers just doesn’t have the range or expressiveness to carry the film’s critical role. As for the rest of the cast, no one stands out much except Julia Fox as Isaiah’s social influencer (and sex toy peddler) wife, Elsie, with Fox giving her usual downtown girl schtick a witchy twist.
Final Thoughts
Marlon Wayans is Isaiah (back, pointing) and Tyriq Withers is Cam (foreground) in ‘HIM’, directed by Justin Tipping. Photo: Universal Pictures.
There are probably some fascinating horror stories that could come out of the world of sports – particularly when it comes to body horror and the way that athletic competition can crush both the flesh and spirit – but despite its ambitions, ‘Him’ is not one of those movies.
Whatever was in that original script by Akers and Bronkie just seems to get lost here in Tipping’s frenzied, headache-inducing style of direction. ‘Him’ just pummels you with nonstop, almost assaultive imagery that is both nightmarish and gratuitous. If it’s meant to make the viewer feel like he’s getting hammered on all sides by the other team’s defensive line – well, perhaps in that regard it succeeds, but as a movie, not so much.
‘Him’ receives a score of 45 out of 100.
‘HIM’, directed by Justin Tipping. Photo: Universal Pictures.
What is the plot of ‘Him’?
When rising quarterback Cameron Cade is attacked by an unhinged fan and suffers a potentially career-ending brain trauma, legendary championship quarterback Isaiah White offers to train Cam at his isolated compound. But Cam’s training and Isaiah’s charisma soon begin to curdle into something darker, which may cost Cam more than he ever bargained for.
Who is in the cast of ‘Him’?
- Marlon Wayans as Isaiah White
- Tyriq Withers as Cameron Cade
- Julia Fox as Elsie White
- Tim Heidecker as Tom
- Jim Jefferies as Marco
- Naomi Grossman as Marjorie
- Maurice Greene as Malek
- Akeem ‘Guapdad 4000’ Hayes as Murph
- Tierra Whack as Adrienne
- Don Benjamin as Cam Sr.
(L to R) Director Justin Tipping, Tyriq Withers (as Cam), Producer Jordan Peele, and Marlon Wayans (as Isaiah) on the set of ‘HIM’, from Universal Pictures.
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