Initially, I was supposed to see Free Guy on the big screen. But lockdown kicked in and I found myself in a strange situation where I had access to watch the film, but only on my TV. Personal preference aside, I decided to wait for cinemas to reopen before seeing this film. And you know what? The wait was totally worth it.
The story of Free Guy follows a sweet, innocent, hardworking and smiley character named Guy (Ryan Reynolds). He’s tidy, he’s punctual, he’s friendly, he works at the bank, and he’s a video game character – except Guy doesn’t know that yet. Everything is normal and fine, Guy is completely satisfied with life and finding little joys in the spare moments he has with his bestie, Buddy (Lil Rey Howery). However, things all change when he has a meet cute with the woman of his dreams, discovering their shared love for an epic Mariah Carey song.
Ryan Reynolds is hilarious and fun-loving as Guy. It helps that Reynolds is already likable, but he truly creates his character Guy to be an extremely wonderful, kind-hearted, naturally inquisitive, and an overall wholesome individual that you wish you could meet and befriend yourself. I loved Guy’s little moments that were both incredibly adorable and character building, like the different scenarios at the bank, or whenever Guy would be waking up in the morning and affectionately talking to his pet fish. It was also extremely refreshing to see a character on-screen that is optimistic, determined, humble, honest, and romantic as hell.
The costuming, cinematography and special effects seamlessly combine to help audiences to lose themselves in Guy’s world, yet still easily differentiate between that of the video game world and of reality. This is cleverly done by displaying a city full of chaos and then switching to a bunch of blank-faced people parked in front of multiple computers. I’d also like to point out the surprisingly impressive fight choreography that is showcased in this film. It’s bloody brilliant.
Although I have praise for Reynolds, he is not the only one that is great in this film. Lil Rey Howery is fantastic as Buddy. The chemistry that Howery has with Reynolds not only makes you believe that these two have been best friends all their lives, but the film also makes you want to join them. The two naturally bounce off each other and I honestly found myself wishing that Howery had more screen time, and for Buddy to join in on Guy’s antics.
But the true stand-out of the film (sorry Ryan) is actress, Jodie Comer. Her duality from portraying video game avatar Molotov Girl to real life counterpart, Millie – the two couldn’t be more different, yet Comer manages to showcase these two versions of her character (equipped with flawless accent changes) effortlessly. Her on-screen moments with Reynolds are also some of the best scenes in the whole feature.
Overall, Free Guy is a great feel-good romantic comedy disguised as an action sci-fi. With its clever storyline and talented cast, Free Guy is enjoyable, heart-warming, and is exactly the film that we need right now. An absolute must-see for everyone.