Manodrome (2023) User Reviews

My expectations of this movie were quite high, but were crushed within the hour...

[imseeg · 4/10 · 18 November 2023]

This story of an insecure and mentally stressed male who joins a group of men to bond and to become strong and proud again, may sound exciting or thrilling but the opposite is true, because this is merely a SLOWburning character portrait (and not a good one).

This flick is probably only suited for a patient arthouse movie crowd, and NOT suited for an action movie crowd at all, who might have been misled by the trailer, expecting another Fight Club or Taxi Driver.

The bad: Jesse Eisenberg is one of my favorite actors, but he doesnt succeed in convincing me with his acting performance that he is cracking down under severe mental issues (and who eventually goes on a killing spree). He just still looks like a silly harmless nerd. His supposedly deeply surpressed violent character doesnt come over true to life to me AT ALL...

This stories' arch in which Jesse Eisenberg transforms from a caring father of a pregnant girlfriend into a maniacal mental patient who eventually goes on a killing spree isnt convincing me whatsoever and THAT is a problem, because this character transformation is THE core of this very story.

More bad: There are too many credibility issues with the story. Out of the blue there suddenly is a group of men who start supporting the lonely and insecure Jesse Eisenberg like a loving father to his long lost son. There are too many weak performances by several supporting actors that really irritated me. And Adrien Brody's performance as a mumbling guru of a man club is rather silly looking as well.

If you are looking for a devestating movie about a lone soul slowly loosing his mind and seeking "cure" of his mental strains in killing someone, better watch an almost similar plot in "Taxi Driver" (1976) with Robert de Niro instead, because Manodrome is (at best) a cheap and failed surrogate of that all time great American movie classic.

What the heck was that?

[Glenn_K9 · 4/10 · 21 November 2023]

It has the feel of Fight Club but by far has lost itself in a film that you wait for a punch but it never comes. There was no surprise at the ending, the acting could be a ten but the storyline spares none of the performances , I'm a huge fan of both Jesse Eisenberg and Adrian Brody that brought about the most disappointing of all. I even wish I could say the film had any kind of potential but no go. Brody's performance as god was a stick man with a soft guy with nothing else overcomes the soft guy personality. If you watch this prepare yourself for a let down and maybe spare yourself the disappointment and watch something more promising!

Nope

[MongoLloyd · 1/10 · 15 November 2023]

Is this part of the new wave of filmmaking that features protagonists who don't know what they want, and have no goal? Do things happen in this movie? Sure, lot's of things that make no sense whatsoever because the protagonist is a malformed character who basically functions as a broken robot for whoever wrote this. Is he human? Sure. Does he act like any human being ever has? Probably not. Do we care enough about him to want him to succeed? Succeed at what? All he does is meander around making one terrible decision after another as if he had no backbone or even the intelligence of a parrot.

I'll never understand how stuff like this gets greenlit.

I want to bleach my brain after watching this

[raffifeld · 1/10 · 17 November 2023]

I started watching with no expectations. I was hoping it would be an interesting movie, it turned out not to be only the weirdest most unsatisfying movie I've seen all year, but it turns out the entire movie is a political analogy against this caricature they make of Jordan Peterson. I wouldn't have even minded as much if it was a good movie, but the plot was frustrating and made no sense, the entire time watching it I just felt highly uncomfortable. It's essentially a highly misandranistic caricature of what some ridiculous film major college graduates came up with when they ran out of ideas. I wouldn't recommend this at all.

What a waste of time ...

[I-love-Popcorn · 3/10 · 17 November 2023]

There were times when they used to produce movies like Fight Club.

Now they spend $24m to waste our time with some nonsense script.

It's not the first time for Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg to play an unlikeable, confused, and soulless person, but what happened to Adrien Brody? Didn't he win an Oscar for the Pianist, at least that was 20 years ago ... I guess some actors don't read their scripts anymore before accepting their $400k roles.

I usually watch the movies to the end to make up my mind but had to stop watching this one after 30 minutes since I could not relate to any of the characters in this movie.

People are tanking the reviews, 1 stars? please!

[spookyastronauts · 7/10 · 20 November 2023]

Manodrome is a wild ride where we follow the subtlies of a quiet "average" man who meets the wrong people at the right time causing a pressure cooker situation. People saying the film was null of meaning may need some self reflection, the movie clearly nods at what is to come early on and the leads erratic behaviour shows how the pressure guides his choices. The film is the sad, violent and lonely story of a man who because of his upbringing was never able to express himself and now he's invited to open up and influenced into taking matters into his own hands, but his emotions have boiled over in ways he cannot understand nor control before it's too late.

Copy Paste Delete

[celt007 · 4/10 · 18 November 2023]

John Trengrove's "Manodrome" is an incel-era update of "Fight Club," a story of an average guy whose inner demons are unleashed when he meets a group of men trying to reclaim their perceived place in the world. "Manodrome" weaves modern themes like the emergence of toxic incels across the internet into a tale of a loner who becomes emboldened by the wrong people, echoing "Taxi Driver" as much as the Chuck Palahniuk classic but failing to tie any of its hot-button issues into a coherent statement or character study. It's a hollow provocation with about as much to say about the human condition as an internet troll who learned a few buzzwords this morning and wants to spew them at somebody to feel superior. The cast gives their all, but the film ultimately has nothing to offer.

Its NOT the "Taxi Driver" of the MeToo era

[medadlee · 6/10 · 6 October 2023]

Jesse Eisenberg at his most physical preformens. Adrien Brody is really an actor of a generation, and for me Odessa Young is a Revelation. But alongside some powerful scenes and well crafted disturbing imagery, it seems that the creator of the film hasn't quite decided where to take the story. And here it falls short of similar masterpieces like Gone Girl or Power of the Dog.

I saw the film at the Haifa Film festival. It was interesting to see the reaction of the audience, including one husband who, ironically, how couldn't stand the film any longer and informed his wife that he would meet her outside. You'll see which scene it happened in.

Wrong guy for this!

[twofeathersnmi · 3/10 · 19 November 2023]

I'm sorry, Jesse Eisenberg was the wrong person to play this part. He ain't hard enough for it! Shia LaBeouf would have knocked this out of the park! Perfect guy for a film like this. This does have a sharp message in it, although, it's almost too real for the times we are in now. Our leaders have become toxic and their followers manic and frothing at the mouth for acceptance, no matter where it comes from. This film, although creepy but is still a good representation of some of the pressure our young people are under these days, sprinkle Mascagni, and a sparse of mental illness, and you have a bomb looking for a reason to explode!

Original, dark, dramatic thriller with a raw punch and an Eisenberg performance as never seen before

[danieljfarthing · 8/10 · 24 November 2023]

In dark dramatic thriller "Manodrome" troubled East-Coast blue-collar gym-rat Jesse Eisenberg (excllent - and ripped, as never seen before) struggles to cope mentally & financially with losing his job while girlfriend Odessa Young is nine months pregnant - and his psychological state sure ain't calmed by falling in with Adrien Brody's mysoginistic cult (with the likes of Ethan Suplee) that sparks him into rapidly spiralling volatility & violence. In his first US film, South African writer/director John Trengove packs a raw punch, with originality (while drawing inspiration from great movies like "Taxi Driver" & "Fight Club"). It'll not be for all, but is well worth seeing.

Poor execution, but an important theme.

[latinfineart · 6/10 · 21 November 2023]

I can definitely understand the difficulty a lot of people have had with wrapping their minds around this story, everything about this movie is in total contrast to everything that we're being taught and indoctrinated with in contemporary Western culture. Men are not supposed to be in control, men are not supposed to be independent, men are not supposed to be their own people, men are supposed to obey, be obedient, and be submissive.

The celibacy aspect of this story was fascinating what a lot of people don't seem to realize is that most women in America are just not sexual beings anymore and many men live lives of unwilling celibacy so the concept of guys willingly renouncing sex who is rather fascinating and a social phenomena that needs to be explored. I could see a lot of woman being put off by this film and justifiably so, it does threaten the position that they hold so dear. That of big boss. I know man who aren't even allowed to carry cash anymore they make the excuse that they use their credit card because it's easier for them to keep track of expenses but in reality the lack of cash is a form of emasculation.

The cultish aspect of this story was a difficult thing to find a level of comfort with, but the basic movie was a rather interesting story, that needs to be talked about, and needs to be considered. 'Me too" has created an extreme society. Toxic masculinity is the mantra of the day. Men are definitely being left behind by the millions, and most men don't even realize how extremely emasculated they are.

What made the film a bit bizarre is that it seemed like his girlfriend was a very decent person, not a Pinkett like dragon queen or a particularly difficult person. So most of his problems seem to be internal.

Having said all that the movie was very convoluted, the central character's personality was beyond bizarre, and the ending was wholly unsatisfying. This was not a good movie, but it's a very important theme that needs to be explored.

.

[atinsa · 1/10 · 20 November 2023]

What can I say expected high hopes from this movie which didn't materialise like the move script .It was awful viewing not knowing what direction the story line was heading or what on earth the director was thinking of .I cannot believe the cast agreed to this mishmash of a movie .it was a poor attempt to portray todays society's problems overflowing onto the silver screen but with no backbone or substance made it a nonsensical farce to say the least .Don't spend your money on this movie buy yourself an ice-cream or desert to take away the unpleasant taste in your mouth after watching this movie

Avoid !

The director owes me 2h of his life

[fartech · 1/10 · 27 November 2023]

I dont know why and how I saw posters for the movie and decided to watch it without checking its score on IMDB first. 4.8 is too generous. John Trengove owes me 2h of his life that he is welcome to serve anytime he wants - whether it be cleaning my house or walking my dog, I am mad i wasted 2h of my life to watch something that is not even a movie because nothing happens. When something does happen, it's so not logical or make even the slightest sense. Next time you want to make a movie just facepalm yourself John Trengove and spare us from doing it ourselves. If you think about watching this movie just do yourself a favor and watch Joker a second time, it will be a much better experience.

Why was this movie made ???

[skyycop · 1/10 · 25 November 2023]

This was a Complete waste of my time , I thought with the cast of actors in it , That it was going to be worth watching. I will not speak of this movie again, Nor will I recommend it to anyone EVER. IT made no since what's so ever, Now you can try and say it had Artistic relevance. Trust me it DIDN'T. This movie isn't going to find and audience, Believe me NO one will be singing its praise at all . What they will say is , Stay away from it and definitely don't talk about it or Suggest it to anyone. This movie will go quickly into the might once and for all. I can't believe that the it was ever a thought Period.

Cataclysmic power to Create and Annihilate

[nogodnomasters · 3/10 · 3 December 2023]

Ralphie (Jesse Eisenberg) has father abandonment issues. We later discover his father left him at Christmas. It is the Christmas season and Ralphie tries to hide his feelings. He has built a wall around himself. He lost his job and is working as a ride-for-hire. His live-in girlfriend (Odessa Young) is pregnant and is working to help out. Ralphie also works out at a gym. He is not a people person. His dealer friend introduces Ralphie to their group of guys which has Dan (Adrien Brody) as their leader. On the surface, it appears to be a self-help group where men can open up about their issues and true feelings. In reality, it is a cult that enables Raphie's worst instincts by empowering his mind. This led to a horrific downward spiral.

The film is different and is a slow burn that never fizzles. At one point in the mall our "protagonist" realizes the group of men who have abandoned their families is not right for him, but he is brought back into the fold as his freedom was not meant to be.

Guide: F-word. Sex. Male nudity.

Good, different, but non-conclusive

[uberdonkey6 · 6/10 · 2 December 2023]

Eisenberg and Brody are great actors, and are also great here. Eisenberg portrayed a complex, unpredictable uncomfortable character. It's not like fight club, not about toxic masculinity. It's about a deeply disturbed and shy man who's life is not under control and he gets involved with this group who are supportive and feel themselves outcasts from society, but seems he doesn't even connect with them too well. It's not bloody or excessively violent, though it is a bit dark in places and a few people are shot.

To be honest, it felt very original, but also quite risky from the director. The main character is obviously struggling with some inner demons, but we never find out what that is, and though there are strong hints, the film in many ways felt in-conclusive. In some ways this was good - it's like life; we rarely find easy solutions. There were some unexpected turns of event in the film, and there is a sense of underlying theme of men caring for and feeling the suffering of other men, and the struggle that men have in a society controlled by women's desires and needs. However, it didn't feel like a single story in the end, but more like a snapshot into some messed up kids life as he struggles to deal with his feelings of worthlessness. If it a good movie? It's different, I think it's something that could be studied in a film class, but fundamentally I think many people will find it a little depressing, inconclusive and unsatisfying. I'm glad I watched it, but you're not going to finish the film feeling upbeat or happy.

aspiration for better

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 26 November 2023]

Ralphie (Jesse Eisenberg) is a rideshare driver struggling to get by especially with his girlfriend Sal (Odessa Young) being pregnant. His small world is getting squeezed. His friend introduces him to a men's group led by Dad Dan (Adrien Brody).

This is a mix of Fight Club and Falling Down. At least, it has aspiration to be like those movies. I don't know anything about filmmaker John Trengove. From only this movie, I get a sense that he's a man with ideas. Maybe he needs work to make them into good movies. This is very slow and somewhat tiring. I like Eisenberg but this character has a wall around him. He's playing the quiet guy ready to explode. Even the naked Santa cannot shake me from the doldrums. I still don't know if that's a hallucination. It may be his conflicted sexuality. The gay sex is unexpected, but the gay panic is not. The filmmaker is trying to say something, but he bulldozes whatever construction he had made.

Drama about trauma

[ndroock1 · 8/10 · 20 November 2023]

A young troubled man is introduced to a male cult. When an amateur (Adrian Brody as cult-leader) tries to cure him from some deep and hurting trauma, the trauma takes full control. Things might even become worse when day-to-day life is stressful, like becoming a father and seeing your wife give over to postnatal depression. The trauma is out and Ralphie (Jessie Eisenberg) can't take back control. Things desperately go out of hand. Every day becomes more painful than the previous one. The cult-leader gives Ralphie a gun as a present. But guns can be very dangerous. This movie is a thrill from beginning to end but in a shocking way. - I doubt if many women will like the movie because all the men in Manadrome are victim of abusive relations where the women were the abusers. As was Ralphie. I suppose the message is that abuse by women in relationships is probably very common but somehow people don't speak much about it.

Exit the Gynosphere

[GrassesOh · 6/10 · 2 December 2023]

It's not a terrible movie, but it's nothing that's amazing. At one point I thought it was supposed to be commentary about men who are taking advice from people like Andrew Tate. But it eventually turned into the MC killing people because... who knows? He has trauma from his Dad leaving him on Christmas day, and doesn't like talking all that much.

There were certain things that happened in the movie with the man cult where they were being hypocrites. They talk about how their fathers leaving them is what caused a lot of trauma, yet they also recommend that Ralphie leaves his GF, who is currently mega pregnant, because "that's what a lot of the other members do." So basically, they want to make another child whose Dad leaves them at some point.

It seems that Ralphie was also a closeted gay man who secretely hates himself. He got mad about seeing gay men being in a relationship while he was driving them home in his car. Ironic since he's so homphobic that he'd scare some gay men, but he eventually has sex with a guy and kills him for some reason. I guess it's supposed to be random killing because that's what murderers do?

All in all, want something to watch that has some really pretty camera work? Watch this.

A decent yet interesting take on toxic masulinity

[mateuszmiter · 5/10 · 21 November 2023]

Manodrome is an entertaining take on the toxic masculinity. Jesse Eisenberg alongside Adrien Brody and Odessa Young deliver stellar performances, though, the movie takes so many wild turns by the end, it loses some credibility and could even make you laugh, like it did for me.

The idea was there, and the direction was also promising. For the first half of the movie, I could feel what Ralphie, the main character, was going through. The frustration was crystal clear, and Jesse fantastically portrayed a person trying to handle it by himself. Yet, at one point, the density of dramatic scenes and explosive, reckless actions taken by him turned out to just be too much.

Although I must say, while Manodrome didn't exactly work for me, it kept me engaged until the end, thanks to a stellar mix of great acting, music, and cold, almost raw shots.

On top of that, it's a movie that provoked the most different reactions to it. I experienced it at a movie festival in Wroclaw, and during the whole event, no other film sparked so many different opinions. That is why, even though I felt it was decent personally, I think it should be seen if you have the chance.

Great actors wasted on an unrealistic, meandering plot

[baboothecat · 1/10 · 27 December 2023]

I didn't quite know what to expect with this movie and still don't know what I got. The situations are so unrealistic to the point of the impossible, starting with this "manodrome" mansion clearly inspired by NXIVM including the branding, and they make no sense other than being half baked plot devices for precipitating the protagonist deeper into confusion, rage and insanity.

Excellent acting, and the capable direction is trying its best to breathe life into a bizarre, contrived and inept script.

I would strongly recommend to the writer to reach out to Asylum Studios who seem to be more in line with his aptitude.

And I would fully expect the exec who greenlit this turd to be fired for cause. What a waste of money and talent on what was so obviouly a really bad script.

HOLLYWOOD IS BORED

[penofinspiratin · 2/10 · 10 December 2023]

Jesse Jesse Jesse , Jess is the guy who I will pass & knock his coffee of his hands , feel sorry then get annoyed as soon as he opens his mouth to ask what's my problem.

He is top of my list of actors that just vibe negatively with my aura.

Nothing bad about his acting , I just get annoyed with his visage Tbh though he pulled out his character in this movie way better than being lex But OMG what was this movie like was this a boys club of annoyed jocks who want to punish the world for being losers Like what was the whole purpose of this movie, is it closet gays feelings or how a loser can't handle the reality that nothing favours their choices?

Lost in confusion and ideals

[Rodrigo_Amaro · 4/10 · 22 November 2023]

A suffocating, frustrating and nearly empty experience that leave audiences baffled with its weirdness and mystery rather than feeling intrigued with what it proposes and criticises, "Manodrome" was certainly one of the most disappointing experiences of the year. But I guess one can deposit much hopes for a film like this, except for having the usually effective presences of Jesse Eisenberg and Adrien Brody, and even though they do not disappoint, the script a confusing and lost thing while trying to enlight viewers about the pressures faced by men in the 21st century and how they cope with such existential problems.

The Eisenberg character is 30/40-ish guy who recently lost his job, now working as an Uber driver, of which he hates it and he's quite erratic while conducting his business; and he also has a girlfriend (Odessa Young) who is pregnant and somewhat this is a relationship he didn't want to have. The only fulfillment he has comes through massive exercises at the gym, where he can release some of his fury and anger through training. But he'll get a second revelation when he's introduced to a guru (Brody) who helps men like Eisenberg to quit what's troubling them and focus on whom they want to be and what they really want from life. It's those basically self-help teaching like "the power is within you, you just have to believe it and change your way of thinking".

However, this guru doesn't a book to sell. Instead, his focus comes in making a sort of cult group where men live together, help together, don't have any contact with women, practically leaving their girlfriends or wives for good. And in this sheltered world, there's a hierarchy of dads and sons with the more experience you gather. Too bad that the leading man keeps going back and forth while joining them because it'd be interesting to see the dark side of such group or how positive it actually is in helping them find their path in life. Movies like this tend to built suspense when the whole apparent perfect world collapses with phony realities and some danger along the way. We didn't get to this bit here.

But on the other hand, as Brody's character fuels more and more trust into Eisenberg, the more the new follower will descent into madness and dangerous behavior, to the point of aggression, stonewalling the only person who cared for him, or even following his most secret desires. He reaches that, accomplishes that ultimate inner desire - problem is that we don't get to see if there was any sense of fulfillment, so throughout the whole film this character is a sufferer of chronic insatisfaction and he'll never feel as if accomplishing things. That famous Thoreau quote about men's lives would fit in here, except that our main character later on becomes a loud desperation act.

Way too enigmatic with its concerns and situations, very jumpy at parts, "Manodrome" doesn't satisfy us with anything, it just leaves us more confused and thoughtful into thinking about the secret of a fulfilled life, how to remove the drama from one's reality and find possible satisfying solutions, or if following the massive internet gurus/self-help experts could be useful or not. The wiser of us in the audience will keep asking those questions, but it's not as saying the movie opened up to this discussion in a philosophic manner. It was all rubbish, slightly tense and unexpected but hardly rewarding and with some negative messages (with the character, not the group).

For the curious of minds, it's worth seeing Jesse Eisenberg doing something completely different from his routine. He entered some darker inner corners, with lots of angry and madness. He lets it all out, unlike the usual anxious fast-talkers he plays (it's basically himself, but I don't blame him at all. I like it). It was quite different to see, showing some range though I hated the character for a great part of the movie. Other than him, there isn't much that can absorbed from this movie. 4/10.

Worst then worst

[McGyverfan · 1/10 · 1 May 2024]

If I could give this zero stars I would! I have been wanting to see this movie for several months. The previews look pretty good & I absolutely love blah blah. But this movie is absolutely the worst movie i have ever seen! The movie is full of this main character waiting to be gay. Know desire for that crap! Their is absolutely no story line & the guy playing the main charter, well his plays a creep the entire movie. Honestly, do not waste your time. I don't understand how movies like this can get made. I mean seriously the entire movie is made up of gay crap & a crazy man! It says thiller & drama. Nope none of that!!!!

random collection of scenes

[idonotexist · 4/10 · 7 January 2024]

I cannot tell what this movie was about. It plays as various scenes that come and go and stand on their own. No real overall plot to be found, or certainly none of any significance or relevance.

It is a bit of a urban gay sex tale but not really, family drama but not really... crime drama... also not really. It is a movie about nothing in particular. Just random scenes out of context from the life the main character.

Acting is very moody, slow paced, dazed like even... Not a fan. Too much of a lost and confused vibe, which might actually be accurate as im sure whoever made this got lost in the script quite a few times.

Really there is no reason to watch this but yet it is not the worst movie ever. Some scenes as i said, on their own, are ok. There is stuff there to watch. Just as a movie doesn't really work.