The Art of Self Defense

  • Rated R
  • 1hr 44m
  •  (125)
  • 65

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Videos & Photos

  • Official Trailer
  • Teaser 1
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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Riley Stearns

Producer:

Camille Bertrand, Lisa Ciuffetti, Andrew Karpen

Writer:

Riley Stearns

Release Date:

Jul 12, 2019

Runtime:

1hr 44m

Synopsis

A man is attacked at random on the street. Enlists at a local dojo, led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei, in an effort to learn how to defend himself.

Cast

  • Jesse Eisenberg
  • Alessandro Nivola
  • Imogen Poots
  • Steve Terada
  • David Zellner
  • Phillip Andre Botello
  • Jason Burkey
  • Mike Brooks
  • C.J. Rush
  • Davey Johnson

Did You Know?

Trivia

  • This movie was shot in Kentucky
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Quotes

    • [after Anna beats a fellow student to a pulp]
    • Sensei: You're done for the night.
    • Anna: So is he.
See more »
Movie details provided by

Atom User Reviews

 3.8 out of 5
42
48
18
7
10
POPULAR TAGS
#original
#surprising
#clever
#hilarious
#indiehit
#greatcast
#smart
#slow
#lol
#great
#creepy
#seeingitagain
#leavekidsathome
#intense
#epic
#datenight
#notmyfave
#mustsee
#boring
#mustseebro
Verified Review
#hilarious
#seeingitagain
#indiehit
#leavekidsathome
#surprising
#lol
#greatcast

Definitely caught me by surprise! Pretty good movie and funny definitely worth seeing if your a Jesse Eisenberg fan.

3 of 3 helpful votes
JF
Joseph F
Verified Review
#indiehit
#surprising

This movie is not for everyone. It did make me feel a wide range of emotions which is a positive. You must like dark humor to enjoy this movie. The cast really sells it.

3 of 3 helpful votes
CW
callie W

Metacritic

65
metacritic
Based on 32 Critics
6.4

USER SCORE (71)

Generally favorable reviews based on 71 Reviews
67
Jan 2, 2020

Like The Art of Self-Defense as a whole, it’s glib and obvious in a way that leaves me a little cold.

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Vince Mancini
Uproxx
70
Jul 19, 2019

Eisenberg, Nivola, and a hilariously brusque Imogen Poots (as Sensei’s only female student) are more than up to the task of finding the comedy in scenes of nasty violence or brooding anxiety. Stearns, however, is less interested in balancing those tones than he is in exploiting their uneasy tension.

View full review
David Sims
The Atlantic
70
Mar 15, 2019

While the beats of its plot may be nothing very new, the tone, language and performances here make Self-Defense its own beast.

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Metacritic review by John DeFore
John DeFore
The Hollywood Reporter
See All Critic Reviews on Metacritic.com