THE STORY – An original razor-sharp dark comedy thriller set in the world of modern dating in London.
THE CAST – Taron Egerton, Jessica Henwick, Charly Clive, Mia McKenna-Bruce & Herbert Nordrum
THE TEAM – Jonathan Schey (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 97 Minutes
In Jonathan Schey’s “Everybody Wants to F*ck Me,” the starter pack for self-proclaimed “nice guy” Adam (Taron Egerton) involves a MUBI tote, a “Cleo from 5 to 7” poster, a rotation of female literature for coffee shop outings, and the use of “Before Sunrise” in pickup lines. Adam seems to know all the right things to do and say. In the film’s opening scene, he suavely approaches a woman (Mia McKenna-Bruce) without a hitch and they have a one-night stand, followed by the afterglow of coffee in bed. When she places her coffee cup on the nightstand, missing the coaster entirely, Adam’s textbook sweet behavior shifts. He contorts his expressions as much as humanly possible to conceal how he really feels about that cup not on its coaster. It’s clear that he’s not thinking about her and that he’s in performance mode, conscious of presenting an idealized version of himself at all times.
The first half of Schey’s twisty rom-com thriller nails observations on this hollow, “nice guy” behavior through a satirical lens. With the musical chanting backdrop of an all-male choir, Adam moves carefully from one space to another in a studied assertion of performative disguises. He goes on picturesque runs with his dog Alana (named after singer Alana Haim), practices yoga, and works at an all-female-run gallery, doing essentially what he thinks would make women like him. But does he actually like women? As his gay best friend Emma (Charly Clive) so eloquently calls out, the guys who tell you they’re nice are the ones you have to watch out for. Adam believes himself superior from the male population he apologizes for, until he meets Sofia (Jessica Henwick), a classics major who turns the tables on his game. Their theater date – an appropriate setting given the heightened performative elements Schey has in store – flips a switch on the film’s tone as it morphs into horror-thriller stalker territory.
Adam’s strange encounter with Sofia kicks the titular premise into full gear. He awakens to find that wherever he goes, women are incredibly attracted to him, first with mild amusement and then insatiable, animalistic pursuit. Adam’s adorable dog, Alana, picks up on a changed energy, which makes for some genuinely unsettling moments as the dog develops an attack stare. The vibe at Adam’s workplace, where he prides himself on “letting” his female colleagues’ voices be heard, shifts completely. Adam soon finds himself in a downward spiral wherein he’s the prey, and his fear of women spills out for all to see.
Schey pokes fun at performative masculinity using a mishmash of genre tropes and a sharp sense of humor. He excels at building onto surreal, absurd scenarios that truly benefit from knowing as little about the full premise as possible. This story takes truly unhinged turns, each one building up varying reaction levels to Adam’s “bejangled” headspace. It’s full of thrilling surprises, wicked jump scares, and bold tonal shifts that keep you on your toes. While the execution of Schey’s premise is quite entertaining, the film does hit a thematic wall in the second half, when Sofia’s character resurfaces with explanations as to why everyone wants to f*ck Adam. What could have been a more meaningful introspection about his existential crisis, and her deeply grounded and universally relatable frustrations toward men, becomes a horror conspiracy fest that spins its wheels.
Despite the messiness of this final act, the ending lands as a brilliant magic trick, and a testament to the staying power of wonderful performances. Taron Egerton is the beating, energetic heart of this film. His charisma could power an entire city, and his commitment to the role of Adam knows no limits. Endearing one moment and smug the next, Egerton covers a rich tapestry of emotions on his character’s absurd odyssey. He brings a strong emotional throughline to the story and navigates the tonal shifts with remarkable control. And despite underwritten material, Jessica Henwick works wonders to convey the exhaustion of watching men constantly get away with disingenuous, predatory behavior and move through life without taking accountability. In the film’s final moment, arguably its most thematically resonant, Henwick and Egerton both masterfully play out the question of whether men can truly change, or just get better at disguises. While the films toys with this question mostly on a surface level and scrambles the underlying message, Egerton anchors a devilishly enjoyable and humorous experience.
