The Jordan Peele-produced horror film features a great performance from Marlon Wayans, but nothing else.
As spooky season settles in nicely–even though it’s still too damn hot outside–so come the newly released horror films. But Him is a different kind of horror picture; a psychological horror film set in the world of football–the most popular sport in North America. As sports films that are splintered into such a niche genre as the one presented go, it offers a promising glimpse of what could be. Just like a promising young prospect in any sport, the tools are there: the story, the cast, the imagery, and so on. But, unfortunately, like many prospects in sports, this one fails to live up to expectations.
Him tells the story of a promising young college football quarterback (Tyriq Withers) set to get drafted and play professional football. But when he encounters a setback that puts his career on the field at risk, he looks for alternative routes. So, when his agent gets a call that he can go and train with a legendary quarterback (Marlon Wayans) on the quarterback’s ranch, he jumps at the chance because it just so happens that he’s the player he grew up idolizing; some even say he is the greatest of all time. But when the young quarterback begins to train, he ends up being slowly horrified by the player he grew up idolizing over the span of a week in his presence.
Originally titled “GOAT” (a title they should have kept), Him presents some things that make you wish this didn’t feel like the first draft of a script (three writers are credited here). The story is compelling enough, and it could take its viewers down one of many different avenues that would make for great water cooler discussions. The themes tied to the story, which include aspiring for greatness, religion, fandom, and family trauma are all fascinating enough. In addition to this, the film’s subject and main setting really do make for a great horror film. The problem, however, is that none of these things really come together or have much depth to them; there are only hints or teases throughout its 90-minute runtime. And on top of it all, any glimmer of hope for Him is diminished when it takes a hard left turn in its third act, a turn that’s all too predictable if you’ve been following the film’s marketing.
Maybe Him could have risen above its shortcomings had its lead actor, Tyriq Weathers, been commanding enough. However, this script does not give Tyriq much to work with, other than to look the part of a young quarterback who slowly drifts into the madness of his idol. It also doesn’t help that actress Julia Fox is once again distracting whenever she pops up in this film. However, if there is one redeeming quality in Him, it’s Marlon Wayans as the legendary quarterback. We don’t get to see him until nearly 20 minutes into the film, but he’s great once he arrives and holds our interest until the end; it arguably makes for one of the better performances I’ve seen in a film so far this year. Marlon Wayans, a gifted actor known for several memorable roles in comedies, shows a different side of himself in this horror film that makes me yearn to see more of him in darker roles like this.
Him feels a bit hollow, like a slightly deflated football. There’s no denying there are elements to this film that are promising, and should you choose to see this, Marlon Wayans’ performance alone is worth the price of admission. Some may consider this offering better than others will, but it’s difficult not to be a bit frustrated by a film with Jordan Peele’s name attached to it. Sure, he didn’t write or direct this. But if what he and his production company, Monkeypaw Productions, saw in acquiring this project had been more fleshed out, it could have realized its potential, which is what we hope for any prospect who aspires to greatness in whatever sport they play.