Netflix users are pointing out a light-hearted discrepancy with its latest chart-topping new film Hit Man.
After a limited release in cinemas, the new project from School of Rock and Boyhood director Richard Linklater arrived on the streaming service on Friday (7 June).
The film has won acclaim from viewers, with many hailing one particular scene as a future classic as well as the chemistry of its lead stars Glen Powell and Adria Arjona.
Linklater’s comedy tells the “somewhat true story” of an undercover police contractor named Gary Johnson (Powell) who unexpectedly discovers he can pose as a reliable hitman to bring down those enlisting his “services”.
In the film, Gary, who is a professor of psychology and philosophy at the University of New Orleans, is depicted as a nerdy bird watching-enthusiast with a “forgettable face”, which makes his transition into the hitmen he plays, including the suave Ron, more impressive.
One moment sees Gary’s evolution noticed by his students, with one asking: “Excuse me, when did our professor get hot?”
Despite loving Powell’s performance in the film, some viewers were left unconvinced by his casting, believing him to be too charismatic to pull off someone being considered uncool.
“Just started Hit Man and I already have a problem with this movie. There’s no way they want me to think that Glen Powell isn’t a Cool Guy,” one viewer wrote, with another adding: “Hit Man is a good film but they’re not fooling anyone with the idea that clearly very good-looking Glen Powell is regarded as a dorky loser by his students (wow, you gave him a pair of glasses, he still looks like Glen Powell!)”
One additional user stated: “The most unrealistic part of Hit Man is when someone comments that Glen Powell has a forgettable face,” while another posted on X/Twitter: “HIT MAN is a pleasant enough time passer but it never really works because you buy Powell as a suave hitman but not as a nerd pretending to be a suave hitman.”
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Another wrote: “Glen Powell is so wonderfully miscast in Hit Man. He is just way too hot for the role.”
Meanwhile, the scene in which the students “realise their professor is hot” was branded “the dumbest moment” by another viewer.
Powell’s role in Hit Man follows an appearance in 2016 Linklater film Everybody Wants Some!! and 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick alongside Tom Cruise. He will next star in action disaster film Twisters. The actor co-wrote Hit Man alongside Linklater.
