Movie Review: ‘Free Guy’

by | Aug 5, 2021 | Featured, Movie Reviews, Movies | 0 comments

Review by James Lindorf

Fans of horror movies often deride the decision to make a movie pg-13 because they feel it takes all the bite out of the horror. To a degree, that same fear can be felt amongst Ryan Reynolds fans as they gear up for the release of “Free Guy,” his most family-friendly comedy since 2013’s “R.I.P.D.” After a year of Covid delays on August 13th, fans will finally get to see if they will fall in love or rage quit “Free Guy.” With a 45-day window of theatrical exclusivity before streaming on Disney+, fans not ready to return to theaters won’t have to wait too long for their chance to log in.

With film rights owned initially by Fox, Reynolds and director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum trilogy) began working on Matt Lieberman’s (The Christmas Chronicles) script for “Free Guy” in the summer of 2018. The Boston-based production started just one month after Fox’s sale to Disney was official. With two studios being involved, the chances of studio interference have doubled, giving fans another reason to be on edge. There is one major scene that some may view as capitalistic greed infringing on the movie. Still, I chose to see it as a moment that embraces the mod culture surrounding this kind of game. In building out Guy’s world Reynolds and Levy brought in writer Zak Penn (Ready Player One) to smooth out the edges and make sure their references are on point. In the end, they created two worlds, one in the game and one on the outside.

The most popular game in the world is the ultra-violent, open-world video game “Free City.” Guy (Ryan Reynolds) is your standard Non-Playable character (NPC) going through life as part of the game’s background. At best, he adds a bit of life to the city, working as a teller at the Free City Bank, which gets robbed every 2-hours. At worst, he could be run over, stabbed or shot, by a person with a gun, a plane, a helicopter, or even a tank. None of that matters to Guy because he loves his job, gets to drink the best coffee in the world, and spends time with his best friend, Buddy (Lil Rel Howery). Everything changes when Guy meets and is immediately smitten with Molotovgirl (Jodie Comer), a leather-clad badass who seems to know the game better than anyone. To get the girl and save the world, Guy will write his own story, and this time, he will be the hero.

In the real world, “Free City” is just another game distributed by Soonami Studios and its ostentatious mogul Antwan (Taika Waititi). Antwan is in the middle of a lawsuit brought against him by Millie (Jodie Comer). Millie believes that Antwan took the code from a game she and her friend, new Soonami tech support employee Keys (Joe Keery). As Guy begins his journey to be a great guy in a bad town, the real world begins to notice. Realizing that Guy is a serious threat to the future of “Free City” and its sequel, Antwan deploys Keys and coder Mouser (Utkarsh Ambudkar) to remove Guy from the game. Millie will have to find her proof in a hurry, or Guy and the rest of the NPCs will be erased for good.

After getting the story right, the next major task was populating the two worlds, which fell on the shoulders of the casting team of Ronna Kress, Lisa Lobel, and Angela Peri. Reynolds may have had the most challenging job among the cast. Playing the rapidly evolving Guy and keeping track of how he should be playing the character in any given scene requires a lot of talent and a great continuity expert. While he is perfect for the role, Guy is not a significant stretch for Reynolds, who has more range than many people credit him with. Reynolds is surrounded by an all-star cast of names and faces you probably recognize. The most crucial role to fill was that of Millie/Molotovgirl because she puts both stories into motion. The team went with Jodie Comer, the Emmy®-winning star of “Killing Eve.” Comer has her own tall task in playing two distinct personalities, the sexy tough as nails and surprisingly British Molotovgirl and the reserved but determined Millie. Hair and makeup changes help accentuate the difference, but it comes down to Comer, who is excellent in each role. Millie’s best friend and business partner, Keys, is played by Joe Keery, best known for playing Steve on “Stranger Things,” a Levy-produced show. In opposition to Millie, Keys is passionate, often outspoken, but resigned to their fate and his current position as Soonami. The core cast is rounded out by three actors who embrace different sides of comedy. Waititi provides great maniacal energy alongside his loyal brown-noser Ambudkar, while Howery delivers pure joy.

Supporting the talented cast are decent special effects, which don’t have to be perfect because it’s just a game after all. The cinematography is well done, but the two technical areas where “Free Guy” excels are in the musical choices unless you hate Mariah Carey and its editing. The movie has a 115-minute runtime but is paced so well you don’t notice the length at all. With a great cast and solid technical elements supporting the film, the only thing that remains is to answer the question if being PG13 neuters a Ryan Reynolds comedy or not. Since he burst onto the scene with Van Wilder, Reynolds has been known for a particular type of humor. It is deadpan while being over the top in its crude and juvenile nature and is distinctly Ryan and unquestionably R-rated. When you dial back the coarseness of the jokes, Reynolds’ charisma shines even brighter, making “Free Guy” his most charming comedy to date. Helping that charm are the film’s messages. Fighting for what you believe in and the idea that relationships have value no matter how “real” they feel, and the importance of being a supportive friend run throughout the film.

After August 13th Reynolds will be known for playing three characters, Deadpool, Van Wilder, and Guy. “Free Guy” is a cross between “The Lego Movie” and “The Truman Show” and is a solid 4.5 out of 5

Rating: PG-13 (Language|Crude/Suggestive References|Strong Fantasy Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Action
Original Language: English
Director: Shawn Levy
Producer: Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy, Sarah Schechter, Greg Berlanti, Adam Kolbrenner
Writer: Matt Lieberman, Zak Penn
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 13th, 2021
Runtime: 1h 55m
Production Co: Maximum Effort, Twentieth Century Fox, Berlanti Productions, 21 Laps Entertainment, Lit Entertainment Group