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Right out of the gates, I feel the need to reiterate that Jordan Peele's name is attached to this film as a producer,  not as a director or writer. I say this because I went into this expecting something along the lines of Peele's other works, which I generally enjoy, but got something far more unusual that could never lend itself to a second viewing. Some would say that I'm just not a football fan of any sort, and they'd be right, but I can still enjoy a good football movie with a good story. This story was, in a word, just "weird".

Before I really get into it, though, the concept of a sports-based horror movie is unique. For that, I can give the film some points for originality. I'm sure they're out there, but I can't really think of any sports-based horror movies off the top of my head. Sports movies usually fall into the drama or comedy genre. So when I saw the trailer for this, it piqued my curiosity, especially with someone like Marlon Wayans returning to more serious acting, as seen in movies like 'Requiem for a Dream', despite knowing him better for his comedic performances.

Here, we're introduced to Marlon Wayans' character, Isaiah White, a football "GOAT" ("Greatest of All Time"), through a dreamer kid named Cameron Cade (Austin Pulliam) watching Isaiah White's tapes. At the same time, his Dad, Cam Sr. (Don Benjamin), encourages him to become as good as the great Isaiah when he grows up. Sure enough, his Dad's encouragement, probable pressure and ultimate passing led him to become an ace as an adult (Tyriq Withers), and the fictional USFF (United States Football Federation) seeks him out.

Pretending for a second that football is about as far as I'll ever get to understanding sports terms, etc, things will be pretty simplified here, but what it all boils down to is the encouragement from Cam's agent, Tom (Tim Heidecker), to pursue potentially filling the shoes of Cam's childhood hero, as Isiah White is considering retirement. Cam agrees to travel to a remote location to meet and train with White to ensure that he can be a worthy successor, and he's met with crazed fans who don't want him to replace White, seemingly led by a disturbed die-hard named Marjorie (Naomi Grossman).

When things start, Cam's all for the idea of "all football, all the time" for a solid week of training. Still, he soon learns that to be a worthy replacement, things don't stop at heavy training; he will have to get a little deeper, a little weirder, a little more hardcore, and even a little more deadly. Not only are Cam's physical abilities tested here, but so are his mental skills, which don't simply boil down to different plays and strategies. To make matters worse, his brain is already a bit topsy-turvy after he suffered a fairly brutal concussion recently, with his head staples still holding things together.

Getting into the criticisms first, the sheer fact of the matter is that this movie is just bizarre, and it's often easy to get lost in what's going on, especially when supernatural elements are introduced. By the end of it all, you kinda wonder what the hell they were smoking when they came up with this movie. It definitely falls under the category of "what the hell did I just watch?" and not even in a fun way. I get that there's some artsy symbolism here, but sometimes it hits you like a ton of bricks and leaves you confused. I know I was, but I did have my own takeaway, all the same.

Points that I can give towards the movie go mostly to Wayans' acting (the guy can do serious) and, whether I liked the film or not, its overall originality. I can otherwise put in my own takeaway and say "I got it," but I also may very well not have gotten it at all. What I'm seeing throughout the film is the extremes to which someone will go to fill their hero's shoes. While some of those things are respectable, there are often dark things behind the scenes that no one talks about. On the other hand, this movie confused the living hell out of me, so take my "takeaway" lightly.

2/5

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