Assholes: A Theory

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Release date: Oct 30, 2020

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Movie Info

With venomous social media, resurgent authoritarianism and rampant narcissism threatening to trash civilization as we know it, the time has come for Assholes: A Theory -- an entertaining and oh so timely feature doc from acclaimed director John Walker. Inspired by Aaron James' New York Times bestseller of the same name, Assholes investigates the breeding grounds of contemporary 'asshole culture' -- and locates signs of civility in an otherwise rude-n-nasty universe. Venturing into predominantly male domain, Walker moves from Ivy League frat clubs to the bratty princedoms of Silicon Valley and bear pits of international finance. Why do assholes thrive in certain environments? What explains their perverse appeal? And how do they keep getting elected! Lively commentary is provided by the likes of actor John Cleese, former RCMP officer Sherry Lee Benson-Podolchuk, and Italian LGBTQ activist Vladimir Luxuria who famously locked horns with Silvio Berlusconi, the p****y-grabbing prototype of the 21st century demagogue.

Genre:

documentary
Original Language:

English
Director:

John Walker
Producer:

Ann Bernier, Annette Clarke, John Walker
Release Date (Theaters):

Oct 30, 2020 limited
Release Date (Streaming):

Nov 6, 2020
Runtime:

1h 21m
Production Co:

John Walker Productions, Documentary Channel, National Film Board of Canada

Cast & Crew

John Walker
Narrator

John Cleese
Himself

John Walker
Director

Robert Sandler
Writer

Ann Bernier
Producer

Annette Clarke
Producer

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Critic Reviews for Assholes: A Theory

All Critics (7) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (7)

There's much humour but also a few swift kicks to the derriere delivered in the doc, including to supposedly mild-mannered Canadians.

November 28, 2019 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Peter Howell
Toronto Star
A compelling documentary which asks what constitutes an asshole, how assholes succeed in society, and what can be done about it, if anything

November 16, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Stephen Silver
Splice Today
For a documentary that barely cracks the 80-minute length, Assholes: A Theory covers a lot of ground and even dares to provide a solution: don't enable assholery. Denounce it, don't celebrate it. Seems like sound advice.

January 21, 2020 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Jorge Ignacio Castillo
Planet S Magazine
The inspiration for him to make this film was reading the book Aaron James' book of the same name. It caused him to want to explore why. Why that type of person seems to be everywhere you turn today?

January 2, 2020 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Carey-Ann Pawsey
Orca Sound
It's maybe not as funny as Walker wants it to be - a burbly jazz score tries very hard to force some lightness into the material - but it'll leave you thinking...

December 3, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Norman Wilner
NOW Toronto
Walker spreads himself wide in this lightly sociological, somewhat silly doc, focusing on many locales where homo anus flourishes: Fraternities, social media, Hollywood, Silicon Valley and Wall Street.

November 28, 2019 | Rating: B-minus | Full Review…

Liam Lacey
Original Cin
It's worth pointing out the restraint shown in the section about electing assholes to run your country.

November 16, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Chris Knight
National Post