Free Guy

Free Guy, like many films in the COVID era, has had a long path to getting in front of audiences. 

It also originated with Fox, which, by the time the film's release this past weekend, was already quite acquired by the House of Mouse. 

It's a film I've been looking to for a while now, but was prepared to be disappointed by. Ryan Reynolds is one of the most bankable actors there is right now - pandemic or not (mostly) - and the spin on a videogame world was intriguing. 

But something told me it would let me down, even if only slightly. If anything I leaned toward the belief that all the best bits were in the trailers given that they didn't really change all that much up until closer to the release of the film. 

Like several other films this summer - Free Guy did not disappoint. Much to its credit, it does a lot that is not in the trailers, and the overall package is all the better for not spoiling the surprise. In retrospect, the recent "DUDE" marketing campaign, while hilarious, probably could have even been saved for great effect (although I appreciate that ad's creativity to think outside the box of stuff that isn't in the film). 

If you're wondering if Free Guy is just a PG-13 Deadpool with a slightly different story then you'd be...kinda right, but not really. In all honesty, aren't all Reynold's films a shade of Deadpool? Either way, there's still a lot of his signature brand of wit, one-liners, riffing, and just general "essence" that can be found in both films, but where Deadpool can often edge toward the side of cynical, Free Guy is a more positive role model. Again, that's largely because one is a very hard R and one is a medium-ish PG-13, but that's all to say that if you're a fan of Reynold's schtick (as many are), then Free Guy works really well because of it - and many other things. The supporting cast is strong too, spanning from Jodie Comer, Stranger Things' Joe Keery, Taika Waititi, and Lil Rel Howery. It's that final one, Howery, who'd I'd vote MVP #2 outside of Reynolds as his Buddy is a wonderful, joyful, and hilarious moral compass for the film. Strangely, I found Waititi to be the weakest of the bunch because there's a few sections where it feels like he's trying too hard (i.e. the acting is obvious). He still has some great one-liners, but there are shades of awkwardness that are different from his usual brand of awkwardness, even it it's barely noticeable. 

But wait, what's she sitting on?

From a story perspective, Free Guy also has a lot to deliver and feels unique, even if it's a quintessential hero's journey. Guy (Reynolds) is sick of doing the same thing day in and day out, and eventually comes across (i.e. murders someone accidentally) a pair of "avatar" sunglasses. When he does this, his life is completely changed, discovering there's a videogame all around him. Without giving too much away, he must stop the game from being deleted with a team of friends in the "real world". If there's a single "main" thing that drags Free Guy down is that it doesn't really know what to do with itself in the middle. The start and end are so strong (for a moment I believed we may have had an "Instant Classic" on our hands!), but the middle is just "good" and, while still packing entertaining moments, feels a lot like moving chess pieces rather than moving the story forward. I'll reiterate that it's all fine stuff, but there's some trimming that could have been done or a tweak of the script to keep the jokes as strong in the middle as they were in the beginning and end. 

The jokes throughout Free Guy are what elevate it further than I expected. Yes, there's all the moments from the initial funny trailer, but a few of the one-liners and quick quips throughout are gut-bustingly funny. Reynolds is no stranger to comedic delivery and timing and Free Guy goes a long way to prove he can be just as funny without curse words and tons of sexual innuendos (even if those are his bread and butter). Free Guy earns laughs just beyond Reynold's quick mouth too, with a smattering of physical comedy, wonderful cameos, and "inside" jokes about videogames. This is complimented by some surprisingly good action that's filmed well, even if it's never all that creative (especially given the crazy stuff people have pulled off in videogames). These moments in the film are filled with CGI, but unlike Jungle Cruise paying the price for it, Free Guy doesn't hinder too much because A) it's good CGI and B) it's believable in the context of the film given they're in a videogame. It reminded me of the nearly-all-CGI Ready Player One in that way.

A delightful duo!

Even though my expectations for Free Guy were complicated going in (wanting to love it for obvious reasons, but expecting disappointment), I'm happy to report that it surprised me positively. I think with a more focused version of this film, we would/could have been looking at one of 2021's absolute bests, but even still Free Guy is funny, endearing, and unique enough to still be a contender for one of the year's more enjoyable films thus far.

CONS

• Loses its focus in the middle and meanders for a bit. It loses steam and some laughs along the way
• Too many gamer streamer cameos. After a certain point, it becomes unnecessary or as if the film is trying to capture their audience
• Feels like some videogame tropes/ideas are left untouched...ideas for a sequel perhaps!

PROS

• Reynolds, obviously. This is his usual charm and wit and if you don't like it by now, then this won't change your mind. For the rest of us, his positive-oriented Guy is delightful
• Fun cast otherwise too with Howery getting 2nd MVP honors
• Unique story that follows both an in-the-game and real-world interwoven plot to mostly great success. Has good fun with the videogame elements
• Some good action, even if it's CGI-heavy
• Jokes range from smile-on-your-face to laugh-out-loud hilarious and very few fall completely flat. This is probably one of the most consistent comedies of the year
• Fun music choice
• Entertaining, creative, and one of the funnier films of the year

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10