Last night I found myself at yet another dark comedy! This time it was The Art of Self-Defense and I thought it was an incredibly original social satire that is destined to become a cult classic. Casey (Jesse Eisenberg), a mild-mannered accountant, is brutally attacked one night and decides to learn karate as a form of self-defense. The mysterious sensei (Alessandro Nivolo) of his dojo improves his self-confidence and teaches him to, literally, become what he fears. However, all is not what it appears to be at the dojo. This movie is a scathing indictment of toxic masculinity that is often very brutal to watch but it is also hilarious! I laughed out loud many times, especially when the sensei tells Casey to listen to metal music instead of adult contemporary, to get a German Shepherd instead of his Dachshund, and to start learning German instead of French (because the French are known primarily for surrendering). The ending is absolutely bonkers and took me completely by surprise but everyone in my audience cheered out loud! Jesse Eisenberg is very hit or miss with me (I often grow weary of the twitchy-talk-as-fast-as-you-can-in-a-monotone-voice characterization that he employs for many of his roles) but, in my opinion, this is one of his best performances. He fully commits to the absurdity, especially as Casey becomes more and more aggressive. I had a lot of fun watching this movie but it is definitely not for everyone!
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