Everybody Wants to F*ck Me

Saturday, September 19: This screening will be presented with open captions.

Taron Egerton gives a gleefully committed performance as Adam in Jonathan Schey’s darkly comedic debut, riffing on the dating scene and the self-proclaimed “nice guys” who litter it. Adam has mastered all the trappings of enlightened masculinity: listening more than speaking in meetings with women coworkers, reading feminist literature, practicing yoga, and offering a soupçon of self-deprecation when chatting up women at bars or on dating apps. Adam’s longtime friend who once provided cover for his behaviour is growing up and growing weary of being an accomplice.

Adam has had a lifetime of f*ck around, but his find out is just around the corner when he meets Jessica Henwick’s Sofia. Intriguing and sharp, she proves to be a challenge calling out his behaviour.  The encounter shakes Adam and, stranger still, everybody (but mostly women) start responding to his carefully studied charms, first with mild interest, then flat-out stalking, then vigorous pursuit — even when he’s appropriately dressed.

Audacious, with genuinely intense moments, Schey takes aim at the absurd realities of modern relationships, the self-mythologizing of online profiles, and the way in which many men have learned to signal virtues they may not possess. At the end of the day can the f*ckboy change his swipes? Everybody Wants To F*ck Me does not offer any easy redemptions but there’s a lot of fun to be had in watching the tables turn.

ROBYN CITIZEN

Content advisory: sexual content, violence, coarse language