Bleecker Street.
The Art of Self-Defense
In The Art of Self-Defense, Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) is easily picked out as the dweeb in any crowd—not that he’s usually in a crowd. Lonely and awkward, working as an accountant tapping at a computer in his cubicle, he’s shunned by most of his coworkers. One night, Casey is brutally assaulted by a gang of motorcyclists and left for dead. Influenced by media messages, he buys a gun for protection but, while waiting out his background check, overhears the exclamatory grunts and “hi-yahs!” from a karate studio. Enrolling in the academy, Casey, the embodiment of weakling, prepares himself for a new role as Alpha Male.
Casey learns to punch with his feet, kick with his fists and think around corners under the mentorship of Sensei (Alessandro Nivola). The enigmatic dojo leader poses as a warrior philosopher, a holistic thinker, and yet: unease. The lone female in the dojo, Anna (Imogen Poots), is robotic and glassy eyed. Sensei demands complete obedience, and as the story lurches forward, his mind games become more perverse.
The Art of Self-Defense is a film with an uneven, uncertain tone. It’s too serious to be the usual quirky indie comedy, too silly in many scenes for drama and too deadbeat in delivery to generate laughter. Eisenberg’s body language is masterful; he’s the cringing mouse in a world of rats and cats. But he’s not funny, perhaps because writer-director Riley Stearns lacks a sense for the rhythm of comedy.
The story makes the most sense as a satire of toxic assumptions of manhood—that masculinity is fueled by aggression, violence is good and women are inherently subordinate. When Sensei asks for his favorite genre of music, Casey replies, “Adult Contemporary.” No good. Heavy metal “is the toughest music there is,” Sensei explains. And Casey’s love of France is a non-starter. Weak country. Think Germany, as in panzers rolling across the world. It’s funny in theory, but the delivery isn’t.
The Art of Self-Defense
Jesse Eisenberg
Alessandro Nivola
Directed by Riley Stearns
Rated R
