Rent Him (2025)

Toxic Masculinity: Now in 4K! - Him review by griggs

There’s a fine line between satire and self-parody, and HIM doesn’t so much cross it as sprint headlong into it. Billed as a satirical psychological body horror, it sets out to dissect male vanity and the grotesque pursuit of perfection—but never quite finds the right tone. The ideas are there, just buried under awkward dialogue and imagery that mistakes excess for depth.

It’s the kind of film that makes you squirm, though not always for the right reasons. The commentary on body image and toxic masculinity should sting; instead, it lands with the subtlety of a gym mirror shattering in slow motion. Compared to The Substance, which turns feminist body horror into a weapon of righteous fury, HIM feels oddly meek—circling its subject in self-conscious poses rather than cutting into it.

By the time the finale wimps out, the supposed revelation—that the men who run sports exploit their stars—lands with a thud. Who knew? For all its glossy surfaces and posturing, HIM ends up a flex without any real muscle behind it.