The Art of Self-Defense

2019 • 104 minutes
3.6
133 reviews
83%
Tomatometer
R
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) just can't seem to win. Attacked on the street, humiliated at his job and even emasculated by his dog, he joins a local karate dojo led by the enigmatic Sensei (Alessandro Nivola) to learn how to defend himself. In the midst of his training, Casey becomes friendly with a female instructor (Imogen Poots) and soon realizes he is caught in a bizarre world of outcasts, fraternal rituals and hilarious hyper-masculinity.
Rating
R

Ratings and reviews

3.6
133 reviews
Graham Owens
November 16, 2019
Literally the greatest movie I've ever watched, Jesse Eisenberg has another amazing performance, a series of dark events and complex humor that actually requires some thought so if you don't have many brain cells wouldn't recommended you watch it. The appearance of simplicity but depth of the small detail is what makes the writing of this movie one of a kind. If you cab't understand what makes this movie categorize as a comedy then you should go back to your Adam Sandler marathon there buddy.
Bernard
October 26, 2019
I don't understand why it is a "comedy". I never laughed or smiled or considered it clever. A mild slightly dark satire of sorts at first then nonsensical and then needlessly and pointlessly violent. I was surprised that it held my attention even though it was rather slow moving. The violence of the film and of the ending left me disgusted and I was sorry I rented it. Overall the film made little or no sense.
36 people found this review helpful
Konstantin Inozemtsev
December 21, 2019
It's satire. The deadpan humor works extremely well, and if you're a martial artist, it becomes all the funnier for it. that said, it's a pretty dark film, so if you're looking for a feel-good, laugh out loud film, definitely look elsewhere.