Free Guy is kind of like taking a shopping car through movie history and picking and choosing elements from all over. Instantly I saw a little Lego Movie, Truman Show, Dark City, The Matrix, Tron and a few others. In fact, it reminded me of my disappointment in Tron Legacy in that Free Guy reflects the current state of computing and gaming far better than Tron’s sequel ever did. But that’s a fight long since lost and forgotten.

So Free Guy stars Ryan Reynolds as a Non-Player Character in an online game similar to GTA Online (or Fortnite). He doesn’t realize he’s an NPC and goes about his repetitive day in a chaotic city where “sunglass people” (real players) run amok, shooting each other, shooting NPCs, robbing the bank he works at, etc. When he one day sees the woman of his dreams, he realizes he wants more…

This is a very fun and funny movie marred a little by some messy writing and editing. Also its messages and themes seem a little weird and misdirected. But I enjoyed the movie well enough even as I tried to relegate my “yeah but” thoughts to the back of my brain.

But what’s good here is really pretty good. Ryan Reynolds plays likable guy Ryan Reynolds… you’ve seen his performance before, now dialed up to more manic family friendly levels but still recognizably our man Reynolds. He’s joined in both the digital world and in the movie’s real world by Jodie Comer who is most known from a lot of tv shows I’ve never seen (including Killing Eve). She’s really good playing a bit of a dual role. She gets to play opposite Reynolds and Joe Keery and she is good in both scenarios. Taika Waititi plays a good, slimy, probably not-too-far-from-reality video game boss.

Couple other smart cameos too… though one just serves to remind us how long this has been delayed due to Covid. I’m actually surprsied they didn’t’ edit him out in the interim (mild spoiler – it’s Alex Trebek).

We never really learn much about the fictional video game but there’s enough smart things in the script to make me think the people making the movie actually understood video games. It’s not perfect… there’s definitely some of those “yeah but” moments… And it has a weird message about players maybe respecting NPCs more when, ahem, in reality players should probably treat other players better.

Unlike Ready Player One (and Space Jam: A New Legacy) they didn’t over-stuff the movie with recognizable IP. Yes there are recognizable YouTubers in some cameos and a couple moment where some Disney brands are used (smartly), but it’s kept to a non-distracting minimum. I guess maybe some other things like a Portal gun or a Halo tank might make appearances but they aren’t calling attention to themselves (nor am I sure they are on-model anyway).

There are some script and editing issues. Things get a little messy as they try to reach the movie’s climax (though that sequence did include some audience favorite moments) and maybe some of their ideas are explained too quickly (I think the ideas are good but trying to explain them would have dragged the movie down so they just kind of rush past them instead… thinking of a sequence involving reflections). There’s a really odd montage half-way into the movie where various YouTubers are discussing treating NPCs better that comes out of nowhere (nobody had brought up NPCs in the real world at that point). And then a second montage later where people start to realize the NPCs might be alive. It sure feels like they messed up the order of scenes in editing. Or maybe I was distracted by a shiny nickel and missed it.

Just out of the movie, I think enough of this film works to be a very enjoyable time at the movies. Yeah, I’d have gone in with my own (clearly better!) ideas for how to handle a movie about online gaming and AI, but instead I’ll just write this dumb, pointless review online instead.

You’re Winner !

Score: 86