Funny piece on the pitfalls of masculinity

Surprisingly good film about male interaction and machismo. Jesse Eisenberg plays Casey - a docile and submissive accountant who wants to change his life after getting mugged by a gang of thugs.

The standout performance is by Alessandro Nivola as 'Sensei' - the karate tutor that Casey visits to introduce a bit of alpha male into his life. The Dojo lounge is a sacred and mysterious place that Casey begins to obsess about as he tries to work his way up the belts. There's a night class and a day class, and Casey finds out the sinister difference as the film goes along.

The film is produced by the Zellner brothers (one of which plays Henry, another karate student) - and you can notice slight tonal similarities with films like the brilliant 'Kumiko the Treasure Hunter which they Directed - specifically the delusions of youth and the necessity to comply with society's norms.

There is a lot of great comedy too, much of it in a deadpan absurdist manner not unlike that of Todd Solondz The absurdist / surreal nature does require some suspensions of belief as the plot does waver into analogies and implausibilities . All in all its a film that goes way deeper into exploring the pitfalls of masculinity (and the positives of feminism) than it looks at the outset.