Is the newest movie from Monkeypaw Productions really as bad as people say it is?
As of Sept. 19, Monkeypaw Productions’ first film this year, “Him” (2025), saw its theatrical debut. Monkeypaw is the production company of famed director Jordan Peele, and he is the producer of this new project. Throughout its press tour and advertising, “Him” utilized Jordan Peele’s name as producer as the main selling point of the movie.
However, instead of drawing people in through their admiration of Peele’s work (notably “Get Out” (2017) and “Us” (2019)), it set people’s expectations of the movie too high and led to the movie’s sour public perception. Now, I will be analyzing the movie, so spoilers are ahead.
To summarize, “Him” is about up-and-coming football star Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers), who is taken under the wing of notorious legend of the sport, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), to prepare Cam to replace him in the wake of his retirement. However, there is something off about Isaiah and the sports world Cam will soon fall into.
Personally, I did not hate “Him.” I found that it had good cinematography, and there was great attention to detail. Isaiah White’s mansion shows the divide between normalcy and his “legendary status;” it is more of a facility than a home, and comes off as cold and amoral (mirroring his rituals and his lack of morals).
I also liked the detail of Isaiah being a religious name, which contributes to what I think was the general idea of the movie. I felt that the cinematography and especially the chaotic shots mirrored Cameron’s deteriorating psychological state. I also found the casting to be well done, where Withers shows his potential and Wayans delivers a jarring and off-putting performance as Isaiah.
However, I acknowledge that there are a lot of things that the movie could have done much better. The last act is a hot mess in comparison to the rest of the movie and leaves the viewer with more questions than answers. It’s less abstract and artsy than the rest of the movie and feels rushed, along with contradicting what I believed to be the intended commentary of the movie.
Of course, there are aspects of it that were interesting, but it could have been executed better. It is clear Peele’s direction is present in ideas and symbolism, but not deep and hitting enough to be a true Peele film. This film is also more glaringly obvious about its message than the rest of Peele’s work, leaving it to be less contemplative and more performative, as some things come off as too direct when they were intended to be clever.
The message of this movie is made obvious: sports as a cult or a religion in concept, and as commentary on how sports are treated like a religion in America. The Saviors football team is seen as actual saviors saving Cameron’s career after his concussion. Isaiah states that he is God indirectly, and Cameron is clearly meant to parallel Jesus.
However, I believe there is a deeper nuance to this message that could have been acknowledged better. Isaiah already thinks that he is God, and that is clearly established. However, Cameron’s parallel to Jesus is different, where the things he does do not mirror any actions of Christ (rather, the opposite). So, rather, Isaiah believes that Cam mirrors Jesus in that he is the Son of God (kin of Isaiah in greatness), but is destined to be sacrificed, whereas God lives forever.
Sacrifice is a clear theme throughout the movie, where Cameron is meant to question what he is willing to give up to be the best and do what he believes he has always wanted to do: football, and reach Isaiah’s status of putting football over everything else. I think this theme integrates into the recurring pattern of body and blood, a religious tie once again, but is related to not only the direct ritual of passing down godly blood from ‘greatest’ player to ‘greatest’ player, and Cam giving up the health of his body.
However, where this strays from Christianity is that Cam overall does not mirror Jesus; he mirrors the antichrist. The Devil mimics Jesus, and that’s shown with these rituals that are meant to be holy, but are evil in spirit because the requirements of these rituals are to abandon anything in good faith.
Outside of the movie, it comments on how sports fandoms are treated like a religion, where characters like Marjorie (Naomi Grossman) and Cameron’s father, Cameron Sr. (Don Benjamin), are meant to show the parasocial relationship between fan and sport, where they believe they are a part of the sport and show faith and devotion in something they are not involved in and do not control. I think a lot of people had misconceptions about this message because we do not realize how we treat sports like religion.
I conducted a survey amongst people I know who are sports fans to make the connection between religious devotion and faith to the diehard loyal mentality of sports fandom. The majority of adamant fans of sports are usually very loyal to their teams, consistent when it comes to their hope and dedication, and integrate sports into their identity.
This is the common mentality of not only sports fans, but also religious people, and I think people overlook this when watching the movie because it is not a usual connection that is made. The final thing I want to say is about the overarching theme of obsession: Isaiah is obsessed with football and being the best, prioritizing that over everything else in his life. Sports fans and sports media also have an obsession with sports and occasionally prioritize that over everything else.
Overall, I do not think “Him” was one of the worst movies of the year, nor do I think it was the best. There were good ideas present, but it is clear that the movie prioritized style and visuals over substance. The third act could’ve had more punch if it had more time dedicated to it.
There was too much set up, and the climax and resolution felt poor and rushed, leaving nothing to be thoroughly explained. Peele’s touch as producer in this movie adds to the good ideas and the commentary the movie tries to convey.
Even though it comes off as obvious at times, it can still be unclear to some of the audience. The movie had the potential to be an interesting collision between sports and horror, but it fell flat when key concepts were not fully fleshed out. I would recommend waiting for this movie to come out on streaming platforms.
Tereza Mercado is a first year who is exploring her major
