“Him” centers on the unconventional mentorship between two quarterbacks. Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) is a young a collegiate superstar on the verge of getting drafted into the USFF (a fictional stand-in for the NFL). He grew up watching Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), an eight-time champion who survived a career-ending injury to become the singular face of the league. When we meet Cam, it’s as a child, witnessing a bone in Isaiah’s leg burst out through his skin live on television. Cam’s father won’t let him look away, telling him that’s what makes someone a real man: “Sacrifice.”
Days before the combine, Cam is struck in the head by a mysterious assailant, putting his future in jeopardy. When Cam misses the opportunity to run drills and tests in front of prospective teams, his agent (Tim Heidecker) hooks him up with Isaiah, who is contemplating retirement. For a chance with Isaiah’s team, the Saviors, Cam must spend a week at Isaiah’s compound to see if he’s got what it takes to potentially succeed him as QB1.
Initially, there’s a lot to like here. The set-up is smart. The tone is well established. Justin Tipping does a great job leaning into a pervasive sense of dread, of the foreboding world of high-end pro sports looking as strange and anxiety-inducing as it must feel to Cam. There’s a strong moment where an absurd looking fan seems like they’re a nightmare made manifest, a waking hallucination right out of “Jacob’s Ladder,” only to be revealed to just be a guy who wants an autograph. He looks so craven and unsettling because he’s painted up for a tailgate party, not because he’s a demon from Cam’s innermost fears.
Those bits are often played like comedic moments of release, balancing horror and comedy in the vein Jordan Peele initially popularized with “Get Out.” (Heidecker in particular steals a lot of moments with laugh out loud line deliveries himself.) But it’s in the relationship between Cam and Isaiah that reaps the most dividends. Wayans is a force in the role, given more space to show off his range, both dramatic and comedic, than he usually does. His Isaiah is manic and unpredictable, yes, but when there’s room for quieter moments, he’s just as believable and sincere.
Wayans’ presence and liveliness on screen makes up for how flat Withers is in the lead. He has little flashes of interesting decisions but both the part on the page and the performer bringing it to life feel like hollow cyphers. (Julia Fox is also a standout as Isaiah’s wife, a Kim Kardashian type who similarly splits the difference between seeming like an earnest lifeline for Cam and another dangerous force he must be wary of.) Perhaps if “Him” was more in the vein of “Whiplash” and focused entirely on the mentor/student relationship and questions of what it takes to achieve greatness, it would have a chance to be memorable. Instead, it retreads well traveled roads.