'Everybody Wants to F*ck Me' Review: A Searing Portrait of the Performative Male [TIFF 2026]
A thrilling and satirical take on manipulation in the dating world, starring taron egerton as an entirely too convincing “nice guy”.
All of us know a performative male - Someone who listens to Clairo and Phoebe Bridgers, reads Ottessa Moshfegh and Sally Rooney, carries a tote bag, and is proudly and declaratively a feminist. Although these things seem relatively benign, they’re often disguising something more sinister and manipulative. At least this is what the stereotype suggests: These men are supposedly strategically presenting themselves to appeal to women in efforts to pursue them romantically. Through an inauthentic love of thrifting and astrology, these men appear emotionally deep and sensitive. Instead, they may be designing their interests to lure in potential partners, using a carefully designed image to come off as trustworthy and progressive.
The idea of the performative male was popularized on social media in the last couple of years, building off of male archetypes past like soft boys and hipsters. Many social media users have criticized individuals who come across as these performative males, whereas others argue that these interests may not be performative at all, and criticizing them suggests men should behave and act in certain, approved ways. Regardless of stance, this term has spread to many corners of the Internet. Now, it is the central focus in Everybody Wants to F*ck Me, a new film that just had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The film stars Taron Egerton as Adam, an art gallery employee who strategically designs himself to appeal to women–tote bag, women-written literature, and all. He initially appears sweet and friendly. In fact, the viewer’s introduction to Adam involves him helping a woman get out of talking to a pushy stranger at the bar. I mean, if he would step in to help diffuse an unwanted situation, he must be a good guy. He easily romantically connects with others, but soon the viewer realizes that his seemingly genuine persona may be a ruse. He goes through his life seducing women with help from his carefully curated personality, and once they’re sold on him, he quickly becomes uninterested. This is hurtful to the women he gets involved with–they’re taken with his sensitivity and kindness, convinced that a man with a Cleo from 5 to 7 poster in his room must be one of the good ones. But sure enough, he’s soon pushing them out of the door, with no interest once they’ve already spent the night together. Adam lives this lifestyle with seemingly no consequences: He’s well-liked, he’s successful, and his social life is certainly busy.
One night, Adam encounters a student at a bar (played by Jessica Henwick) and they quickly connect. Soon, he’s headed back to her place. Instead of a night of fun, however, he ends up passing out. He wakes up the next morning, immediately uncomfortable that he’s accidentally spent the night and doesn’t seem to have any memory of what happened. He quickly leaves and goes on about his day, but starts to notice that things are different. Specifically, it appears that every woman is giving him extra attention–eyes are on him, smiles are being shared, and he feels like there must be something different about him. He brings this up to his best friend Emma (played by Charly Clive), who is pre-occupied with her wife’s pregnancy and suggests he may be overreacting. Over time, however, this feeling only grows, and Adam starts to feel like every woman he meets is irresistibly attracted to him. This is fun for Adam at first, but it quickly spirals out of control, becoming more uncomfortable, aggressive, and ultimately, dangerous. His whole life begins to change with this new obsession closing in on him, and soon, he is begging for it to stop.
This is a wild ride of a film, funny at times and increasingly stressful at others. Egerton does a great job in his role as Adam, expertly convincing the viewer. In performative male glory, it becomes unclear whether Adam is genuinely just a nice guy that isn’t ready to settle down, or is, in fact, scheming his way through life. The viewer doesn’t necessarily stoop to sympathy, but perhaps begins to feel a level of pity for him and his slowly imploding life. But the film also begs the question: Does he deserve it?
Everybody Wants to F*ck Me is a satirical look into manipulation in the dating world, which will surely strike a chord of truth with many viewers that are currently swiping on apps and suffering through first dates. It also explores the idea of whether it’s possible for people to change. Although it takes an extremist approach, cursing Adam with the stress of every woman on Earth being desperately interested in sleeping with him, it still is able to pointedly critique people’s typical unwillingness to correct their character. Even when faced with serious costs, it can be difficult for people to break away from their habits, especially when their habits help them achieve some of their most sought after goals.
For viewers interested in thrilling satires that can get a little extreme (and maybe a little gory), this will be a hit. Delving into Internet-popularized stereotypes and offering genuine social commentary about the difficulties of connecting with people in the current climate, this film offers both a fun and thoughtful ride. Although it could go a little deeper, building out the characters more and expanding on the central themes, it’s, undeniably, a fun and punchy watch.