The Art of Self-Defense
Bleecker Street Media | Release Date: July 12, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
10
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
58
Original-CinLiam LaceyJul 19, 2019
At best, it’s no more than a puny version of David Fincher’s Fight Club. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshJul 17, 2019
Stearns grapples with notions of gender, violence and identity. But in this mannered, ironic take, his punches don't land hard enough to leave a mark. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrJul 17, 2019
Casey is possibly on the spectrum, but one of the problems with The Art of Self-Defense is that all the other characters seem to be, too. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJul 16, 2019
At times, the movie struggles to maintain the critical balance between detachment from and engagement with the thing it’s making fun of. Read full review
50
ObserverRex ReedJul 15, 2019
The sum of the parts in martial arts on view here do not add up to a fascinating, consistently intelligent whole. You can write the plot on the head of an ice pick. Read full review
50
The New YorkerDavid DenbyJul 15, 2019
Even viewers who take their comedy black, without sugar, may wince at the violence that is doled out; Stearns raises laughs and then chokes them off. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter TraversJul 12, 2019
The Art of Self-Defense sets itself up as the 90-pound weakling destined to live forever in the shadow of "Fight Club." The good news is that writer-director Riley Stearns gets in a few good licks at toxic masculinity before odious comparisons to David Fincher’s masterpiece blunt the film’s comic and dramatic impact. Read full review
50
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiJul 9, 2019
Director and writer Riley Stearns’ mediocre comedy aims to be a roundhouse kick at traditional masculinity, but doesn’t manage to take it down in any deep or insightful way. Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinJul 20, 2019
The only surprise is the level of violence — not just beyond "The Karate Kid" but beyond "Fight Club." The problem with that strategy is that unless you’re knocked out, you’re just grossed out and eager to go. You practice the art of self-defense against the movie. Read full review
40
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJul 10, 2019
The one halfway-interesting part of this movie is Nivola’s performance, which operates at both a deeper register of seriousness and a higher pitch of comedy than anything else. Read full review
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