Free Guy (2021) — Movie Review
Directed by: Shawn Levy. Produced by: Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy, Sarah Schechter, Greg Berlanti, Adam Kolbrenner. Screenplay: Matt Lieberman, Zak Penn. Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Joe Keery, Taika Waititi.
I know what you are thinking: “not another game movie!” And you would be right. Free Guy is everything you’d expect from a Sci-Fi action comedy. It’s stereotypical — regular everyday guy gets superpowers, beats the devil, saves the world and gets the girl. It’s corny. It’s cheesy. It’s been done a million times before. But somehow… it works!
The plot (spoiler-free)
Guy, a Non-Player Character (NPC) meets MolotovGirl, the girl of his dreams, who is not exactly what he thought she’d be. She is on a mission to restore what’s rightfully hers and expose Antwan, the evil game developer who stole her life’s work. Guy risks everything to help MolotovGirl accomplish her goal, at the same time saving his world and the other NPC’s who live in the city.
The acting
Ever since playing Deadpool, it seems Ryan Reynolds (Guy) has perfected the art of witty cynicism. He is funny. He is clumsy. He is a gentleman with a touch of nerdiness. He is downright stupid at times — and its awesome.
Jodie Comer played MolotovGirl, the femme fatale Guy falls in love with. The Prime Time Emmy Award winning actress does a good job portraying the girl who has her eyes set on her goal, and who ignores the love of her life even though he’s been sitting right next to her her whole life.
I’ve been a fan of Lil Rel Howery (Buddy) since I saw him in Get Out (2017). He plays Guy’s trustworthy sidekick, who helps the protagonist fulfill his destiny and save the world. And as all trustworthy sidekicks, he has to sacrifice himself, but fear not, as he comes back at the end of the movie.
And what can I say about Taika Waititi (Antwan)? You’ve seen him in Thor: Ragnarok (2017). You loved him in Jojo Rabit (2019). The same dude brings his shaggy hair, crazy eyes, wanna-be-gangsta attitude to this movie, and he’s funny as hell.
The good parts
As a feel-good movie, it is definitely entertaining. The CGI is awesome (well, except for The Dude’s face — his dead eyes reminded me of the look on Will Smith’s genie in Aladdin’s live remake *shudder*). Acting is a little above average.
Channing Tatum’s short screen time was funny, and he brings a little Magic Mike love with him. The little homage to Captain America and The Hulk was surprisingly good, and Chris Evans’s cameo left me in tears (of laughter).
The soundtrack was beautiful. I loved how they used Mariah Carey’s Fantasy all through the movie, and I almost peed myself with laughter when I heard Digital Underground’s Humpty Dance at the most unexpected scene.
Where it went South
The script is a perfect example of your standard, run-of-the-mill RomCom recipe. You can start watching the movie at any point during its 115 minute run time, and you’d know exactly what is going to happen in the next minute. Don’t expect to be sitting in your chair thinking “I wonder what will happen next.” You know exactly what will happen next. You’ve seen it a million times before.
You don’t need to listen to the dialogue, you’ve heard it in a dozen other movies. It is cliched, worn out and a little boring, but it fits perfectly with the script.
My conclusion
So what do I think of this movie? Well, if you take The Matrix’s (1999) core idea, mix it with Gamer’s (2009) backstory, add the fine cinematography and storytelling of Ready Player One (2018), and you have Free Guy. It is not an award-winning motion picture, but it is entertaining and funny. I give it 7.5/10.
