The Art of Self-Defense

2019 • 104 minutes

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.

Ratings and reviews

I liked this. It is a redemptive comedy and did make me laugh. The previous 2 reviews obviously blanked expecting something approaching machismo. Take a look for yourself.

This is one of those films that you watch and then think, "Who the hell was that for?!?" Not funny enough to be a comedy, not serious enough to be a drama, and not enough fighting to be an action movie. Just generally weak characters, with a weak script, in a weak film. An almost pointless experience.

Rubbish... crude