Is HIM Better as a Short Film?

On this special episode of 2Nerds and an Actor, we went digging in the crates to bring you our chat about Justin Tipping and Jordan Peele’s HIM. The only way to have this convo about where Black history and sports history meet was to have our guest and good friend Dr. Amira Rose Davis on. You know, Professor, author, and former athlete Amira Rose Davis? Yeah, HER. We went everywhere with this one. What was the movie trying to say? Who was the intended audience for this? Did the movie bring a Black conversation into the public forum? That, and some brilliant insights around the historical relationship between Black Americans and sports. Even more exploration of women and sports in the U.S. All this and too much to type here on this (bonus throwback) episode of 2Nerds and an Actor! 00:00 — Quarterbacks, Receivers, and Linebackers 00:23 — Meet the Nerds and Our Sports-History MVP 03:27 — A Great Idea Tackled by Messy Execution 08:14 — Black Gladiators, Body Horror & the Price of Greatness 13:12 — Six Out of Ten: Rating the Hype 15:24 — Marlon Wayans, A Cinematic Force & the Case for Support 19:50 — Spoiler Alert: Cameron Cade and the Color Politics of Football 24:45 — Fan Worship, Football Dreams & the Exploitation Machine 28:18 — The GOAT, the Rookie & an Ending That Doesn’t Land 31:27 — Masculinity Under Pressure and Bodies on Display 34:14 — Cheerleaders, Race & the Gender Politics of the Game 38:08 — Why HIM Needed a Black Swan-Level Transformation 40:03 — Big Swings, Missed Targets & the Power of Subversion 46:38 — The History Behind Black Athletes, College Football & Control 53:02 — Marlon Wayans’ Dark Turn, Football as Religion & Final Thoughts