Following these recent films where computer algorithms have been completely breaking down emotionally, here’s a story about a mild-mannered virtual intelligence who just wants to enjoy a day out with a scoop of bubblegum ice cream, and they’re threatened by a human on the outside going crazy. Free Guy is a fun action spectacle directed by Shawn Levy, starring Ryan Reynolds as a background character inside an online video game who starts to break from his programming.
It’s got some undertones of pushback against bad corporate practices inside the industry and some nice satirical swipes at modern gaming culture, but it’s primarily a cute rom-com with some bite and funny timing from Reynolds and his co-stars.
Reynolds has an almost 1950s-ish cheerful demeanor as he heads to his job every day at his bank, chatting with his fellow NPC Lil Rel Howery as the security guard Buddy. They live inside the open-world loot shooter Free City, a game developed by Taika Waititi as the eccentric and profit-driven game designer Antwan.
Our story follows him gaining access to the human player’s features (through a special pair of shades, as from afar he and Buddy are in awe of “the sunglasses people”) and slowly becoming more independent. He sparks up a sweet romance with the player Molotov Girl, portrayed by Jodie Comer with a blend of badassery and genuine warmth.
In reality, Jodie Comer is Millie, a game developer who’s searching for evidence along with Joe Keery as her partner Walter that the Free City code may be stolen from their original game idea, with their data still inside it. Hoping to show this to the public, they form a trio of sorts with Guy, who rapidly becomes an overnight sensation with the gaming community as he levels up by being heroic and performing good acts.
For the typically vicious sandbox RPG, that’s pretty uncommon (think along the lines of people running through the darker Undertale missions, as opposed to its much more popular pacifist run). Meanwhile, Antwan isn’t happy about Guy’s new popularity (who is becoming known publically as “the blue shirt man”), as he wants that old code gone and the Free City sequel launched right away. What follows is Guy and the other NPCs fighting for their existence and trying to outwit their own studio.
In spite of some notable adult humor, this is a film unapologetically meant to appeal to Gen Z-ers. Reynolds was an executive producer on this film and the whole project has his trademark energy to it, so he’s easily able to carry the movie and the bulk of the humor while also feeling believable in the action scenes (his work as Deadpool and other action vehicles help him plenty here).
Howery is gaining a decent rep as the jovial go-to sidekick (coming off a Space Jam 2 cameo) in Hollywood, but he has some genuinely heartfelt moments with Reynolds that hint at some potential wider range from him.
Keery and Comer’s chemistry together is extremely sweet, as Keery has the same sort of suburban kid appeal he has in Stranger Things. Waititi goes out of his way to steal multiple scenes, at first seeming pretty buffoonish and flamboyant but then he gradually turns more despicable over the course of the film, as his thirst for sales puts him at odds with the fanbase who are are nuts for everything Guy-related. Matty Cardalope as a random streamer who idolizes Guy probably has one of the most absurd and funniest parts of the film, honestly.
Most of the comparisons I’ve seen made towards Free Guy are to Ready Player One, which is easily understandable given some of the cameos (Fox takes advantage of their current owners), but it’s not to the excessive degree in that film. And I certainly see shades of the Truman Show, perhaps that was by design, but those aren’t enough to prevent Levy’s film from feeling like it has its own distinct identity.
If you were looking for a more aggressive takedown of the game industry and its specific systemic issues, you won’t find that here because this film is more interested in making you smile for a couple of hours. Still, if you’re a fan of Reynolds, you want a decent time-waster with a ton of fights and shootouts, are interested in something unashamedly nerdy, or you just like cute romances, I think Free Guy might have something for you. If you’d had the chance to watch it, let us know your thoughts as always on FAN’s social media!