Freelance movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Freelance

This action comedy movie is now available to stream on Amazon Prime. and in select theaters.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 48 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: C

IN A NUTSHELL:

An ex-Special Forces operative takes a job to provide security for a journalist as she interviews a dictator, but when a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview, they are forced to escape into the jungle to survive.

This movie is directed by Pierre Morel and written by Jacob Lentz.

Based on the terribly low score of 7% by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, I can say I definitely got a kick out of this movie more than other film critics. During its opening week, it sat at an embarrassing 0%. Yikes! Audiences liked it more too, giving it a 77% grade.

THINGS I LIKED:

John Cena is such a beast. I get a kick out of his movie performances. How about you?
The story features a guy with Special Forces training in the Army. Those guys are total studmuffins.
I’ve always liked Alison Brie and was happy to see her again. She looks beautiful in every scene.
It’s great to see Christian Slater again. He’s looking good.
All of the cast members of this movie about the Banana Republic did a great job and included Marton Csokas, Juan Pablo Raba, and adorable Molly McCann.
The soundtrack is fun, energetic, and even humorous at times.
Snappy and funny dialogue
Lots of visual and spoken humor.
I don’t know why, but I always love it when characters in a movie reference other movies. In this one, it’s a slam on how terrible the movie Delta Force Ha ha It also quotes a line from The Godfather.
I love twists and turns. There are quite a few of them in the story, so the viewer is never quite sure who is telling the truth.
Lots of action and fight sequences.
I thought it was funny that President Venegas’ suit stayed perfectly white throughout the entire jungle ordeal.
I love that the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, while at the same, sharing some insightful messages.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It’s as if the movie can’t decide if it’s a comedy, action, or a drama. It’s a bit of all three, really, but the tone shifts so much that it’s hard to know what the filmmakers were going for.
Well, there didn’t have to be as much profanity, blood, and nudity…

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Lots of profanity, including many F-bombs in English and Spanish
Violence with various weapons & hand-to-hand combat
A woman throws up after drinking too much alcohol
Talk of having an affair
Some Spanish is spoken sometimes with and without subtitles.
A little girl flips the bird.
We see people get shot and killed
Some blood
Explosions and destruction
We see the top half of 3 naked people coming out from showers. A woman covers her chest with her hands (but she doesn’t cover everything).

THEMES:

Purpose
Protecting others
Brotherhood in the Special Forces
Broken dreams
Corporate greed
Journalism
Trust
Betrayal
Politics
Power of the media
Military coup

FUNNY LINES:

“I’ve got a wife and kid and they both require income.” – Mason Pettis (John Cena)
“Are you sure you’re okay? Want a massage?” – President Venegas (Juan Pablo Raba)
“You gotta be alive for a ‘scoop of a lifetime.’” – Mason Pettis (John Cena)
“Dictators don’t get to sing.” – Mason Pettis (John Cena)
“I would be so bad at being a dictator.” – Mason Pettis (John Cena) “No, it just takes practice.” – President Venegas (Juan Pablo Raba)
“Your American friend? You really have hit bottom.” –
“How many people in this room want to kill you right now?” – Mason Pettis (John Cena) “Umm…probably half. Uh…more than half.” – President Venegas (Juan Pablo Raba)

INTERESTING LINES:

“Learn things!” – Mason Pettis (John Cena)
“Embrace the suck!” – Mason Pettis (John Cena) It’s a reference to the famous book “Embrace the Suck: The Navy SEAL Way to an Extraordinary Life.”