The Pickup Game

Dec 2 2020 TV-MA 1h 36m
Documentary

Generating over a billion dollars a year, the pickup industry is shocking, secretive and—to put it politely—scummy. Built upon myths and manipulation, expensive workshops and training videos push an agenda that women are biologically attracted to alpha males. If men can learn techniques to overcome their shyness and become socially dominant, they'll be 21st-century Casanovas. At least, that's what the brochure says. Ross Jeffries's 1992 self-published book How to Get the Women You Desire into Bed inspired a generation of macho men to push their techniques with aggressive online marketing. With insider access to the movement's founders and current leaders, this riveting exposé dismantles the "date and mate" methods hustled by modern snake-oil salesmen. From chat rooms to conference halls, these self-help-styled seminars are poised to take advantage of anyone desperate enough to fall for their dangerous promises.

Plot

The Pickup Game is an inside look at the emergence of the 'pickup' industry - an business where self-styled seduction coaches travel the world, charging a small fortune to teach men skills they claim will guarantee success with women. For the instructors who are successful, it is a highly lucrative occupation, with many companies earning millions of dollars a year. It is also an industry rife with controversy and scandal. Several teachers have been deported from countries for their contentious methodologies and pickup businesses are often the subject of fierce public criticism. Despite this, men the world over collectively spend hundreds of millions of dollars to attend seminars, download online courses and have one-on-one coaching sessions with instructors they feel can give them the dating life of their dreams. In the minds of students, many of these instructors become more than just teachers. They become idols. From the glossy exterior, where courses are packaged as self-improvement, to the dark underbelly of sexual assault, pyramid scheme marketing and secret collusion The Pickup Game pulls back the curtain to reveal a world that is fascinating and horrific in equal measure.

Written by

Martyn Dunne, Lily Levin, James Littlewood

Directed by

Barnaby O'Connor, Matthew O'Connor

Cast

Maximilian Berger, Marcus Nero, Robert Beck

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United Kingdom, Canada

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
3,568
Average Rating
6.7 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA