People enjoy movies for different reasons. For some they’re looking for popcorn fun, for others they’re wanting to feel a connection with their fellow man. It’s not often that you get a film that does both at the same time. And that’s what Free Guy has pulled off here.
Free Guy is about a background video game character in an MMO 3rd person shooter. Basically, this is a Grand Theft Auto style video game that massive amounts of people play online at once. Players can commit crimes, earn video game currency, and all the rest that you would expect in a violent video game. Now, enter Ryan Reynolds’ character Guy. He’s an NPC, a non playable character in the background who works at a bank. His job is to get held up every day by players robbing his bank, and he does it with a smile on.
A big part of what makes this movie a success is Ryan Reynold’s himself. He casts away his typical smarmy persona in exchange for something more sincere. Reynolds’ plays Guy as a genuinely nice person, who exists in a world full of over-the-top video game violence. It’s a great contrast that causes lots of conflict and keeps the story moving forward in interesting ways. The other thing this film has going for it is a smart script. It’s funny, and takes what could have felt like a retread of other sci-fi films and makes it feel fresh.
And, above all, the biggest takeaway I had from this movie was it’s sincerity. It doesn’t shy away from actually having something to say about the human experience. It embraces it, and leaves us feeling a little more human ourselves by the end credits.