In 2016, 20th Century-Fox purchased a script penned by Matt Lieberman from Hollywood’s Black List of the best-unproduced screenplays. The story revolved around an ordinary bank teller who discovers that the world he’s in is a video game. The studio offered it to director Shawn Levy, but he passed on it since he wasn’t familiar with video games. However, Levy met actor Ryan Reynolds through a mutual friend, and after rereading the script, they agreed to work together. With Reynolds both starring and producing, filming began in mid-2019 in Boston’s Financial District and other parts of Massachusetts. Around this time, the studio was purchased by Disney and renamed 20th Century Studios, though Disney supported the project. Once filming wrapped, it was initially slated for a July 2020 release but saw delays due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Finally, on August 13, 2021, Free Guy was exclusively released to theaters nationwide.
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Synopsis
Guy (Ryan Reynolds) is an average joe living in Free City, where people called “heroes” cause mayhem and destruction daily. However, Guy and his friend Buddy (Lil Rel Howery) continue going about their day working at the local bank. Despite this, Guy secretly years for something more in life apart from his menial and repetitive routine. One day, Guy decides to take charge and take the glasses from a “hero,” which reveals that he’s in a video game. In the real world, programmer Millie (Jodie Cromer) is looking for proof that Free City’s publisher stole her code. She plays the game as “Molotov Girl” and helps Guy level up so he can help her uncover the truth. Meanwhile, Guy’s popularity skyrockets while the publisher’s owner Antoine (Taika Waititi) is shutting the game down for a sequel. It’s up to Guy, Millie, and her ex-partner Keys (Joe Keery) to stop him!
Review
It’s hard to review Free Guy without comparing it to movies like The Truman Show or even They Live. It’s more than coincidental, from the protagonist realizing their world is artificial to a pair of glasses revealing the truth. While it certainly lifts elements from other movies, it’s still able to use them to create an original story. The idea of a video game NPC becoming self-aware is unique, and it’s interesting to see this explored. Wreck-It Ralph studied the idea years earlier, but I think this film honestly does a better job. Unlike that film, Guy is still the central focus of the story rather than shifting to another character halfway through. Even when the movie introduces real-world elements, the focus is still mainly on Guy and his actions. It’s amusing considering that Disney owns both films, though tangentially, yet this one is the better of the two.
Once again, Ryan Reynolds makes for an amusing and likable lead, even if he’s playing the same type of character. Jodie Comer does an excellent job playing two characters and having solid chemistry with two different actors. Joe Keery is also likable, and you understand why he chose to work for the company that screwed him over. As usual, Taika Waititi steals the show as the eccentric head of the publisher whose sole interest is profits. In addition, this movie has a lot to say about the gaming industry as a whole, though it’s nothing new. It deals with publishers screwing over their employees, how companies are just after money and prioritizing familiarity over originality. Still, it’s interesting to see a multi-million dollar film tackle this and still deliver a solidly entertaining action-comedy. Overall, Free Guy does tread some familiar ground but does it satisfyingly.
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