Free Guy is the most FUN, FUNNY, FEEL GOOD, HEARTFELT, MOTIVATIONAL movie of the year. What appears to be a zany video game action-comedy with Ryan Reynolds doing that Ryan Reynolds thing is in fact just that, but surprisingly and gratefully it’s even more.
Guy (Ryan Reynolds) a Non-playable character (NPC) in an open world video game “Free City” begins to question his mundane existence when he crosses paths with a determined young vixen, Millie (Jodie Comer), he believes to be his dream girl and life purpose. Destiny unites them and the realization that there’s something more to Guy’s code than just khaki’s, baby blue shirts, and a brilliant smile puts them in a race against time to thwart attempts of Antoine (Taika Waititi) from deleting Guy and the game as a whole.
Free Guy takes a simple story and celebrates the magic of what it means to be yourself and be alive. It does it all with a protagonist that has no business being anything more than just “ordinary”. Could you imagine Tommy Vercetti from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City becoming self-aware in 1986 trying to escape the perils of Miami while teaching valuable life lessons along the way?
Oooooo, I kind of want that movie now.
That’s Free Guy! A hero, not just to the other NPCs, but to millions of “real-life” gamers who get lost in digital lives every day.
The team behind this exceptionally crafts a family friendly comedy with an edgy bite that packs a big thematic punch. Shawn Levy’s direction supported by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn’s screenplay truly is a collaborative gift that makes the most of their previous works. Take the fun and fantasy of Ready Player One with the contemporary laughs anyone can enjoy in The Addams Family or Scoob plus the cinematic vision of movies like Real Steel; yeah, that’s Free Guy. Plus it’s got something to say. Sharply commentating on Video Game culture by utilizing the most unlikely of characters, Guy takes his world by storm, and encourages people to do good by going against the toxic culture of hyper violent and misogynistic video games and being a genuine good guy doing good things and still getting rewarded along the way.
Ryan Reynolds is cinematic perfection. A quintessential movie star still at the peak of his powers and he knows it. Good looking, charismatic, funny, and he helps to conceptualize a character who’s the hunk and doesn’t even know it while being endearing throughout. Jodie Comer is delightful as Millie who displays fantastic timing and range that makes me really want to go watch Killing Eve. This is most definitely the best Joe Keery we’ve gotten yet and while some may think Taika Waititi’s is a bit over the top, I thought he was excellent at being a cartoon dirtbag who’s just having the right amount of fun while being annoyingly douchey. The entire ensemble is great. They help make this world come alive.
Free Guy is a great time at the movies. Bring anyone to watch it with. Regardless of if you’re a gamer or not, the story is straightforward, the approach is action packed and filled with the right humor. The performances are fun, the moments are cool, the cameos and Easter eggs are a plenty and you’ll feel hopeful in the end coming away with a better understanding of how life doesn’t just have to happen to us and that every day is a chance to not just be a good Guy, but a GREAT Guy… or Gal.
Free Guy is in theaters everywhere August 13th!
