“HIM” is a film that deserves to be seen more than once, even with its flaws in pacing. The occasionally phantasmagoric visuals, often appearing at a staccato rate, provide a perfect backdrop for this unique look at the American obsession with sports. Two great acting performances of sometimes unlikable characters anchor this satire cum horror movie.

The story begins with a young Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) staring at a television screen. The San Antonio Saviors are playing in an alternate-reality football league. Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans) is the star quarterback who suffers a horrendous, possibly career-ending injury.

Young Cam’s father encourages the boy to chant affirmations. Cam says that he wants to be “HIM” and “I’m coming for ya”.

Years later, Cam is the star quarterback desired by all of the professional football leagues. His father is now deceased. Cam goes to his high-school football field to work out solo. He observes a football in the end zone spinning gyroscopically. Behind, a strangely-garbed figure raises an object and hits Cam in the head.

Later, at the Combine, Cam is still recovering from the effects of his concussion. He has metal staples on the top right side of his scalp. Cam chooses to not participate in the event, which jeopardizes his playing career.

Cam’s agent, Tom (Tim Heidecker), arranges (or so he claims) for his client to go to a week-long retreat at the home of Cam’s idol, Isaiah White. This will be Cam’s chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the San Antonio Saviors.

As the entourage approaches White’s compound, a series of White’s fans stands outside the entrance. They are bizarrely costumed.
One of the fans smashes her head repeatedly against Cam’s vehicle window. She is hauled off by security. It is revealed that these fans do not want Cam to replace White, their idol.

White’s compound is a stark architectural wonder almost buried into the desert. Inside, there are circular hallways and windowless rooms galore. Cam notices a display with White’s championship rings.

Soon it is time for Cam to practice with White. The latter seems alternately aggressive and friendly. At the practice, one participant is struck in the face by a speeding, machine-delivered football every time that Cam makes a mistake. Alarmed, Cam is told that the only way to prevent this is to get better fast.

White makes a big deal about commitment. What is Cam willing to sacrifice to become HIM? Cam says that he values “God, family, football” in that order. White says that he needs to reverse that priority to succeed. Football is everything.

Meanwhile, Cam is receiving strange injections from Marco (Jim Jeffries), the personal doctor to Isaiah. What is in these injections? Things only get weirder from here.

This film seeks to be a satirical look at football and obsession with sports as personified through Cam’s struggle to do whatever he needs to do, however bizarre, to be HIM. The crazy fans are meant to support this premise.

But the level of outrageousness Cam is forced to participate in seemed to go over the top for me. The supernatural horror elements, which I won’t reveal, are presented without any background explanation. Normally, I prefer as little exposition as possible. But the denouement of this movie is so crazy that I really don’t know what went down or what Cam’s future is.

This aspect of disconcerting the audience does parallel Cam’s confusion. The picture does successfully build suspense as strange things like the initial attack on Cam, the injections he receives, a fan intrusion into the complex, and the player who gets smacked in the face with a football repeatedly occur. The pacing at the compound, however, is quite uneven so that the movie sometimes lags.

The theme of how much a person is willing to sacrifice to obtain their goal is sometimes harped on too much. I wanted to scream “We get it!” several times.

More fascinating is the question of who one becomes when those sacrifices have been made. What price has been paid in terms of relationships, personal conscience, and physical status? Do you like the person you have become?

The production design induces a sense of claustrophobia while simultaneously using colors to create a striking environment inside the compound. The sound design of the film also augments the eeriness of the situation.

As to the costumes of the fans, they honestly reminded me of rejects from “Where the Wild Things Are.” Fur, horns and unitards are combined with geometric makeup applications to create this assemblage of wannabes. I noticed that costumes did not rate mentioning in the production notes.

Rarely do I see superlative acting performances for characters that I relate to at all. Both Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers are fully committed to their portrayals. In Wayans’ case, he has the confidence as well as the mystique which one would expect from a star quarterback. Yet he also is able to descend into madness when the need arises in the plot. It is a masterful once-in-a-lifetime character study, similar to Demi Moore in “The Substance.”

Withers is utterly convincing as the rising star in the football firmament. He remains poised in the face of adversity, while also showcasing his fears through physicality. Frankly, I would have bolted with all of the weirdness going on at the compound. But his character’s dream to succeed at all costs is superbly displayed by Withers.

So I feel very ambivalently about this movie. On the one hand, there are two great acting performances. The production and sound design are top-notch as is the cinematography and visual effects. On the other hand, I didn’t care for the characters at all or the bizarre ending. Yet I feel like I need to re-watch the film to catch all of its nuances.

Not recommended for small children.

3 out of 5 stars

What would you sacrifice to become the greatest of all time?

HIM stars former college wide-receiver Tyriq Withers as Cameron Cade, a rising-star quarterback who has devoted his life, and identity, to football. On the eve of professional football’s annual scouting Combine, Cam is attacked by an unhinged fan and suffers a potentially career-ending brain trauma.

Just when all seems lost, Cam receives a lifeline when his hero, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), a legendary eight-time Championship quarterback and cultural megastar, offers to train Cam at Isaiah’s isolated compound that he shares with his celebrity influencer wife, Elsie White (Julia Fox; Uncut Gems, No Sudden Move). But as Cam’s training accelerates, Isaiah’s charisma begins to curdle into something darker, sending his protégé down a disorienting rabbit hole that may cost him more than he ever bargained for.

Cast: Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies
Director: Justin Tipping
Screenplay by: Zack Akers & Skip Bronkie and Justin Tipping