Cinephile No. 792 “The Art of Self-Defense”
Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME
Plot: “A man is attacked at random on the street. He enlists at a local dojo, led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei, in an effort to learn how to defend himself.” -IMDB
Review: At the office and on the streets, Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) finds himself bullied. His co-workers don’t respect him. His boss attempts to protect him. Potential partners ignore him. The only being in the entire universe that seems to care, is his loyal dog. Yet, it is forgetting to buy food for his dog that sends Casey out into the night on an errand that will change the course of his life. What follows is scene after scene sewed together to create one of my favorite comedies of 2019.
It has been a long time since I saw a dark comedy this satisfying. Almost every single scene possesses an awkward encounter, punchline, or moment dripping with sarcasm and humor meant to make you think and then laugh. These laughs start coming steadily after Casey is attacked on the street fetching his dog food. Wanting to take some of the power back, he decides on karate lessons. Throwing himself fully into the discipline, we watch as he becomes more confident and resilient. The metamorphosis is a thing of beauty to behold.
Just when you begin to think that you know where this story is going, it delivers a beautiful twist (don’t worry, no spoilers here). The change in direction and reveal left me gasping for air. Watching a full of himself Casey navigate his defeat moved me further up my seat and left me fully enraptured with this film. Now, Casey must make some choices and those choices take this film from good to great.
Those choices will deliver us back to the beginning of the film where the whole scheme is revealed. Summoning true power, this film attempts to tie everything together with an ending that is anything but conventional. Ultimately, it is the ending that didn’t sit right with me. For me, it is what keeps this from achieving 5-stars.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
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