The Art of Self-Defense
Directed by Riley Stearns
Casey is attacked at random on the street and enlists in a local dojo led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei in an effort to learn how to defend himself. What he uncovers is a sinister world of fraternity, violence and hypermasculinity and a woman fighting for her place in it. From TMDB
24 reactions from 3 sources (Bluesky, TMDB reviews, Mastodon) · newest Oct 3, 2026 · last updated Oct 9, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
Sentiment labels for these sources are still being hand-checked; no score yet.
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TMDB reviews * | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
22 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
36 archived X posts (Mar–Apr 2026) are kept for the record and not used.
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Critics, per Wikipedia
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 166 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Art of Self-Defense grapples compellingly with modern American masculinity and serves as an outstanding calling card for writer-director Riley Stearns." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "This singular black comedy balances off-kilter humor with an unexpectedly thriller-esque undercurrent, to the extent that audiences will find it tough to anticipate either the jokes or the dark, Fight Club-like turn…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
24 of 24 · most liked first"The Art of Self Defense" (2019) is a good movie
unlabelledView post →368) The Art of Self Defense (2019) #NowWatching on @hoopladigital.bsky.social #2026FirstTimeWatch 334 #FilmSky #TheArtOfSelfDefense
unlabelledView post →🌕TOMORROW NIGHT🌕 JOIN @banquo0.bsky.social @paleosteno.bsky.social @silvermelody.bsky.social @xengaming101.bsky.social & @hexasketchi.bsky.social for👨🦱JESSE EISENBERG MOVIE NIGHT!👨🦱 It's a🐴RIFFPONIES WATCH-ALONG🐴 of 🖥️"THE SOCIAL NETWORK" (2010)🖥️ & 🥋"THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE" (2019)!🥋 🌕TOMORROW @ 7!🌕
unlabelledView post →🌕TONIGHT!🌕 JOIN @banquo0.bsky.social @paleosteno.bsky.social @silvermelody.bsky.social @xengaming101.bsky.social & @hexasketchi.bsky.social for a 👨🦱JESSE EISENBERG MOVIE NIGHT!👨🦱 It's a🐴RIFFPONIES WATCH-ALONG🐴of 🖥️"THE SOCIAL NETWORK" (2010)🖥️ & 🥋"THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE" (2019)!🥋 🌕TONIGHT @ 7pm ET!🌕
unlabelledView post →The Art of Self Defense. Best movie ever
unlabelledView post →It works because I've never forgotten her name. I'd also throw in a recommendation for The Art of Self-Defense as another great Eisenberg/Poots film to watch. And then also Black Christmas with Poots as a good revisionist horror reboot.
unlabelledView post →aw thank you! 😊 dude me too. it's actually a sick shirt from a film I really love (featuring the protag's dog from the movie), bought it from the director himself! the film is called The Art of Self-Defense, if youve ever heard of it!
unlabelledView post →My ★★★★ review of The Art of Self-Defense (2019) letterboxd.com/siskoid/film... #Letterboxd #FilmSky
unlabelledView post →#film rec time : The Art of Self-Defense by Riley Stearns. I don't think I've ever been more taken by surprise. I was expecting a goofy, Master Ken- style martial arts comedy, and what I got is a brutal criticism of toxic masculinity and the lengths men can go to pursue it. It's brilliant.
unlabelledView post →Happy to be assured that Riley Stearns’ THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE is not only still very funny, but scarily relevant. Now streaming for free on Tubi! www.looper.com/2089542/jess...
unlabelledView post →"The Art of Self Defense" (2019) is such a criminally underrated film. Like dark comedy? You'll flippin' love this. #movies
unlabelledView post →Yes and I loved it! And I like his writing in the New Yorker and almost every movie I've seen him in. One of my favorites is the underseen dark comedy THE ART OF SELF DEFENSE. WYFSTW is interesting in that it's such a rare miss for Julianne Moore.
unlabelledView post →Go see A Real Pain if you haven’t (I wish I could but currently going to Peru) and also see The Art of Self-Defense since that movie is good.
unlabelledView post →The Art of Self-Defense 2019 #martialarts #comedy #film. #blackcomedy. Written & directed by Riley Stearns. #cinematography Michael Ragen. Good cast
unlabelledView post →The Film List's review of Riley Stearns' The Art of Self Defense, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola and Imogen Poots.
unlabelledView post →The Art of Self-Defense is the best Karate Kid movie
unlabelledView post →368) The Art of Self Defense (2019) #NowWatching on @[email protected] #2026FirstTimeWatch 334 #FilmSky #TheArtOfSelfDefense
unlabelledView post →The (movie) The Art of Self-Defense 4K (iTunes)(AU) AU$4.99 (Dark humor) (iMDB) 6.9 Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots, Steve Terada, Phillip Andre Botello, David Zellner
unlabelledView post →The (movie) The Art of Self-Defense 4K (iTunes)(DE) €3.99 (Dark humor) (iMDB) 6.9 Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots, Steve Terada, Phillip Andre Botello, David Zellner
unlabelledView post →My first time movie viewings of June 2025: 37. The Art of Self-Defense 38. You Don't Mess with the Zohan 39. The Phoenician Scheme 40. Predator: Killer of Killers 41. Elio
unlabelledView post →The Art of Self-Defense was a weird movie and I enjoyed every second of it. 😂😂
unlabelledView post →oh never saw that one. The other good “indignant about assumed underdog status” Eisenberg role I was thinking of is The Art of Self Defense, a very dark and weird little movie that deploys him well
unlabelledView post →I went in expecting mumblecore, but got more of a Wes Anderson (which, to be fair, a primary influence of mumblecore). Wes Anderson almost always has violence in his movies, but probably nothing so brutal as The Art of Self-Defense. I thought that the whole movie would essentially be setting up Eisenberg as an awkward, meek nerd, who at the very end would go uber-violent, and the joke that they bothered to make a movie for would essentially be "You didn't think this guy would punch very good…
neutral · AI labelView post →‘The Art of Self-Defense’ is a truly funny, dark experience that will polarise audiences, hopefully leaving most of them satisfied. Just try not to think about it too much. - Ashley Teresa Read Ashley's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-the-art-of-self-defense-a-satire-as-pitch-black-as-a-karate-belt
positive · AI labelView post →
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