Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- blackly comic
- melancholic
- stylish
- arthouse film night
- italian cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Paolo Sorrentino's debut as a stylish, sharply observed tragicomedy elevated by the two lead performances and its parallel portrait of fallen fame.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Two unrelated men named Antonio Pisapia experience parallel collapses in music and football.
The singer and footballer must live with the consequences of scandal and injury after their careers end.
The film combines cruel reversals of fortune with sharp, stylish comedy surrounding both Antonios' decline.
The protagonists' identities are tied to being admired performers, and both struggle when audiences no longer validate them.
Films like One Man Up, and why
The King of Comedy
Shared blackly comic examination of fame, humiliation, and corrosive ambition through a psychologically intense character study.
La dolce vita
Shared Italian auteur sensibility, melancholy downfall narrative, and dark satire of celebrity culture.
The Wrestler
Shared sports-centered drama about identity, public success, and the emotional fallout of professional decline.
Magnolia
Shared parallel character structure, tragicomic tone, and focus on men destabilized by lost status.
Movie Details
- Director
- Paolo Sorrentino
- Release Date
- 2001-08-31
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (277)
Cast
- Toni Servillo
- Andrea Renzi
- Nello Mascia
- Antonino Bruschetta
- Roberto De Francesco
- Angela Goodwin
- Enrica Rosso
- Clotilde Sabatino
- Italo Celoro
- Beniamino Femiano
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is One Man Up about?
- Two men sharing a name confront the humiliating afterlife of fame when scandal and injury abruptly erase their public identities.
- What is One Man Up like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of One Man Up as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is One Man Up violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in One Man Up as mild.
- What did critics think of One Man Up?
- Critics broadly regard Paolo Sorrentino's debut as a stylish, sharply observed tragicomedy elevated by the two lead performances and its parallel portrait of fallen fame.
- Which films are like One Man Up?
- Films with a similar feel include The King of Comedy, La dolce vita, The Wrestler, and Magnolia.
- How long is One Man Up?
- One Man Up runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch One Man Up?
- In United States, One Man Up streams on Criterion Channel.
