MOVIE REVIEW: FREE GUY

 

When a bank teller discovers he's actually a background player in an open-world video game, he decides to become the hero of his own story -- one that he can rewrite himself. In a world where there's no limits, he's determined to save the day his way before it's too late, and maybe find a little romance with the coder who conceived him.

Director: Shawn Levy

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Taika Waititi, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Joe Keery

Rated PG-13 for strong fantasy violence throughout, language and crude/suggestive references

Release Date: August 13, 2021

Genres: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Runtime: 1h 55 min

Review:

In a strange world The Lego Movie and John Carpenter’s They Live got married and had baby which grew up to be Free Guy.  Shawn Levy’s video game film is fun romp which isn’t nearly as clever as it thinks it is but manages to maintain an undeniable energy that makes the whole thing enjoyable.  Ryan Reynold’s uses his endless charm to great extent to make the film work.  He’s pretty much the lifeblood of the film but Killing Eve star Jodie Comer ends up being the film’s beating heart.  Together they make a fun onscreen couple among all the insanity that pulls heavily from the Grand Theft Auto video game series.  The supporting cast help make the film work through the predictable story.  Lil Rel Howery is incredibly earnest as Guy’s best friend, so much so that a moment near the end is surprisingly moving.  Taika Waititi though makes the biggest impression with his natural comedic talents.  Waititi’s character is incredibly over the top but so much fun as he spoofs the worse version of video game company owners.  Free Guy is a fun film but you can’t help but think that you’ve already seen much better versions of the same story. 

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY

 

Dumped by her boyfriend, a New York art gallery assistant creates an exhibit for souvenirs from past relationships.

Director: Natalie Krinsky

Cast: Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Molly Gordon, Phillipa Soo, Bernadette Peters

Release Date: September 11, 2019

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Rated PG-13 for sexual content throughout and some crude references, strong language and drug references

Runtime: 1 h 48 min

Review:

The Broken Hearts Gallery doesn’t reinvent the rom-com, in fact you won’t find many surprises here, but it’s successful because of endlessly charming star.  Natalie Krinsky doesn’t miss any rom-com tropes or turns but she’s smart enough to give her film a light breezy feel that makes it easy to like.  Her biggest weapon though is Geraldine Viswanathan and she makes great uses of her. Viswanathan has incredible screen presence and comedic timing; anyone who saw her in 2018’s Blocker shouldn’t be surprised.  Here she’s given the spotlight and she nails it from start to finish, making the film pop for the majority of the film’s runtime.  Her supporting cast is equally strong with the film really perking up when she is paired with her droll roommates/best friends played by Molly Gordon and Phillipa Soo.  Still a rom-com won’t work if the two leads don’t have chemistry.  Thankfully Geraldine Viswanathan and Dacre Montgomery, who set his dreamy meter to 11, have a playful but believable chemistry.  The cast makes the film worlds better than it deserves to be.  Personally I’ve never been the biggest fan of this genre because of how predictable they are, something that holds true here, but it’s a testament to how good this cast is that it’s easy to overlook most of the genres failings on display. 

B+