Full disclosure, I didn't pick this movie and I didn't see the opening 20 minutes. Tyler was watching it and I couldn't sleep so I played on my phone while it was on in the background. After a vicious attack, Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) feels fragile in body and spirit so he joins a martial arts dojo led by an absurdly influential Sensei (Alessandro Nivolo) who tells him his problem is that he is not masculine enough. Under Sensei's guidance, Casey remakes his entire personality to conform to what is deemed "true" masculinity, from his taste in music to his wardrobe to how he interacts with his boss (Hauke Bahr). As he moves into Sensei's inner circle, Casey begins to see exactly how toxic and counterproductive the teachings are while becoming more and more enmeshed.
Yikes. Not sure how this is billed as a comedy, even a dark comedy, but then I don't think toxic masculinity and all its bullshit is funny or cute. I've seen way too many real-world examples of this kind of soap bubble machismo. I will say that the movie does keep you interested in just how fucked up everything is, even if you can guess kind of where it is going. I did not find the third act twist all that twisty but it was still satisfying.
Content warning: suicide, a dog dies
Currently available on Hulu.
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