Free Guy movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE:    Free Guy

After many delays, the action-comedy is now available now in theaters with VOD coming soon.

RATING:    PG-13

LENGTH:      1 hour 55 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

One of my sons is a 3D modeler for the art design in video games at a famous video game company, so I was really curious how this video game movie would work.  It feels like a mixture of The Truman Show, WRECK-IT RALPH, and Deadpool with, of course, a lot of inspiration coming from FORTNITE.  This fun flick is directed by Shawn Levy.

The story is about a cheerful bank teller who discovers he’s actually an NPC (non-player character) inside a brutal, open-world video game.

THINGS I LIKED:

• Ryan Reynolds is wonderful and does what he does best in this role.  His character is a softened Deadpool character with all of the playfulness we love him for.  His dental mouthpiece made me laugh. You can see a Deadpool poster on one of the walls, and a figurine in the kitchen area.
• Jodie Comer is really great and an equal match for scene-stealer Ryan Reynolds.  She even performs a cover of Mariah Carey song during one of the last scenes.
• Taika Waititi is hilarious.  You can also see him in a cameo performance in the new movie THE SUICIDE SQUAD.
• Director Shawn Levy’s daughter is seen in the movie as a video gamer.
• Fun soundtrack with musical humor. You can get it here: Free Guy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Orange LP]
• Almost non-stop action.
• The beloved Alex Trebek makes an appearance, which he, obviously, filmed before he passed away. In fact, it’s the last thing he filmed.
• There’s a lot of spoken and visual humor.  Rumor has it that there was a lot of freedom given to the actors to improvise, which results in some really fun scenes.
• Act 3 has a lot of fun surprises.  Don’t watch the trailers if you can help it so that you don’t see any spoilers.  The intellectual property surprises are done really well and are causing audiences to cheer enthusiastically.
• Fantastic visual effects.
• It’s surprisingly romantic.
• How refreshing to have a message that says it’s good to be a good guy.
• The writing does an impressively good job of helping you feel affection for many of the characters.
• It’s so nice to have a fresh, unique movie rather than a sequel or reboot.  amirite?
• I’m not a gamer but I hear there are some famous YouTube streamers featured in the movie such as Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, Imane “Pokimane” Anys, Lannan “LazarBeam” Eacott, and Sean “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin, and “Dan TDM”.    Nice touch.  You also see several video game tools from other games.
• The story is fast-moving with some thematic parallels to The Lego Movie AND The Matrix.
• There are a lot of fun Easter eggs.  For example, you see a sign that says, “Blatant Product Placement” on a bottle of gin, referencing Aviation American Gin, which is a company Ryan Reynolds has a financial stake in it.
• Believe it or not, Hugh Jackman is the man behind the mask of the character who gives MolotovGirl an important map.
• The fictional town of “Free City” is based on “Liberty City” in the video game Grand Theft Auto III.
• There are a lot of voice and visual cameos.
• Sweet double ending.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

• It’s messy and sometimes confusing.
• There are some bad editing moments with rough transitions between scenes.
• Non-video gamers might not enjoy it or understand all of the gamer lingo and world-building.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:    

• Lots of video game violence, sometimes with blood
• Political & social commentary about violence
• The film celebrates NOT doing what’s expected of you
• Some “light” profanity
• Lots of destruction

THEMES:

• Choices and agency
• Freedom, free will
• Truth
• You decide who you want to be
• Artificial intelligence
• Reality vs. virtual world

FUNNY LINES:

• “Don’t have a good day; have a great day!” – Guy   (Ryan Reynolds)

INTERESTING LINES:

• “Your life could be more. You’re free to make your own decisions.” –   Guy   (Ryan Reynolds)
• “Life doesn’t have to be just something that happens to us.” –  Guy   (Ryan Reynolds)
• “Do whatever YOU want to do.” –  Guy   (Ryan Reynolds)
• “We don’t have to be spectators in our lives.” –  Guy   (Ryan Reynolds)

Movie Review Mom GRADE:  A-          (A+ for gamers, B+ for non-gamers)

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