2025's Disappointing Sports Movie From Producer Jordan Peele Scores a Touchdown on Streaming

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Jordan Peele on the red carpet Image via Instar Images

Britta DeVore is a Senior Author for Collider who has been known to dabble with Reality News as well. 

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When she isn't sitting behind her laptop bringing readers her hot takes on upcoming projects or keeping the dream alive in the Senior News team, Britta can usually be found outside hiking or inside behind her drum set. She currently plays in two bands, Kid Midnight and Watergate, both based in Brooklyn. An obsessive traveler, Britta loves long road trips to the South West and has a soft spot in her heart for canyons, rivers, and forests.

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What does it take to be the greatest? Plenty of blood, sweat, and tears — not to mention ruthless hours and non-stop training — go into making it in the big leagues for would-be sports superstars. Taking the idea of sacrifice, determination, and a love for the game and making it into an all-out psychological horror flick was precisely what filmmaker Justin Tipping was aiming for when he co-penned and helmed the 2025 supernatural genre film, Him. Backed by Jordan Peele, who served as a producer, and starring Marlon Wayans and blossoming breakout horror actor, Tyriq Withers, the film — despite its storm-like plotline — quietly came and went in cinemas on September 19. Now, four months later, it’s enjoying a touchdown run on streaming, where it’s currently in second place on Peacock’s coveted Top 10 list in the United States.

Ever since he was a young boy, Cam (Withers) has wanted one thing and one thing only — to be “him.” With his eyes on the prize, the talented footballer works his tail off and eventually finds himself training alongside his idol, Isaiah White (Wayans), who promises to help him get into the league after a bizarre attack knocked Cam out of the combine. While staying with Isaiah, Cam begins to encounter unsettling experiences that make him question his determination to become the best in the game and rise to the level of “him.”

Trippy and a little bit difficult to follow, Him garnered largely negative reviews from critics upon its cinematic arrival, landing an abysmal 30% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes against an audience score of 57%. The themes of what it takes to be the best in the game are on point, but the scares will have you scratching your head. Even with Peele backing the movie, its marketing didn’t quite hook potential viewers, with the movie earning just $28 million against its $27 million production budget.

The Year of Tyriq Withers

Starring alongside a cast that, in addition to Wayans, included Julia Fox and Tim Heidecker, Withers’ performance as the up-and-coming footballer is what drives the tension of Him. After a few years of smaller roles in Atlanta, Legacies, and Tell Me Lies, 2025 was a year of bigger castings for the actor who, along with the supernatural sports film, joined the young, stacked cast of Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s legacy sequel, I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Head over to Peacock now to stream Him.

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Release Date September 19, 2025

Runtime 96 minutes

Director Justin Tipping

Writers Justin Tipping, Skip Bronkie, Zack Akers

Producers Ian Cooper, Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Jamal Watson
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