The Art of Self-Defense
2019, Comedy, 1h 44m
165 Reviews 500+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
The Art of Self-Defense grapples compellingly with modern American masculinity -- and serves as an outstanding calling card for writer-director Riley Stearns. Read critic reviews
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Cast & Crew
Casey
Sensei
Anna
Thomas
Henry
Kennith
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Critic Reviews for The Art of Self-Defense
All Critics (165) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (138) | Rotten (27)
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The Art of Self-Defense is a razor-sharp parable about radicalization, masculinity and misogyny that avoids pompous, self-aggrandizing soapboxing in favour of empathy, humanity and compassion. All that, plus bonus dachshund.
July 24, 2019 | Full Review… -
Eisenberg is sensational.
July 19, 2019 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review… -
Bold but inconsistent, outrageous but not all that shocking, The Art of Self Defense never reaches its full potential, but lands more than enough punches to warrant our attention.
July 19, 2019 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review… -
It's tempting to imagine that writer-director Riley Stearns caught a screening of the supremely feel-good The Karate Kid and thought, "Yeah, I can make the opposite of that."
July 19, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
If offbeat is the goal, Stearns earns his black belt.
July 19, 2019 | Rating: B | Full Review… -
Stearns' satire is mostly of the blunt-force variety.
July 19, 2019 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for The Art of Self-Defense
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Mar 10, 2020There's indie films that tread the line of popularity and then there's indie films like The Art of Self-Defense. This was a dark and insanely comical film, and it almost hit my top 9 of 2019. Great cast and a concept that leads to unpredictable outcomes. I caught this on a flight, but will revisit on a larger screen down the line. The film won't appeal to everyone, but if you're in the market for a dark indie film, this will fill the void. The filmmakers have a strong style, and the character development is carefully done. This is why indie films exist. There's no playbook here, it's chaos at work. 03/02/2020Brendan N Super Reviewer
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Feb 19, 2020This is a quirky movie fit for Eisenberg's persona. It's an odd narrative, but has its moments of humor, with some diminishing returns. Eisenberg and Nivola are good in their roles, but the tone of the movie wears down on you after a certain point. There are aspects of this movie I do really like, but in the end, I didn't feel like I had much to take away from it.Sanjay R Super Reviewer
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Jan 17, 2020I went in expecting mumblecore, but got more of a Wes Anderson (which, to be fair, a primary influence of mumblecore). Wes Anderson almost always has violence in his movies, but probably nothing so brutal as The Art of Self-Defense. I thought that the whole movie would essentially be setting up Eisenberg as an awkward, meek nerd, who at the very end would go uber-violent, and the joke that they bothered to make a movie for would essentially be "You didn't think this guy would punch very good but then he does". Happy to say, I was wrong. Not only does Eisenberg punch pretty good on actually more than one occasion, there's also a story in The Art of Self-Defense as well, which I was not expecting. Now I still didn't think it was very good, and I definitely didn't think it was very funny, but my very low expectations were exceeded, so in the end I'm actually moderately happy with this one.Gimly M Super Reviewer
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Oct 23, 2019An interesting and quirky look at modern life, Eisenberg absolutely excellent as a hopeless urbanite, clueless as to why he doesn't connect with his fellow men - until he learns how to. Connect! Although quietly told this is a resonant work, auspicious for writer/director Riley Stearns.Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
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