Sunday, 10 October 2021

VOD: Free Guy (dir: Shawn Levy, 2021)

"I've got a best friend, I've got a goldfish, and I work at the bank.  What more could a guy want?"

Baudrillard would have a field day with this smart and funny blockbuster.  They Live meets Groundhog Day and The Truman Show in this lively tale of a mild-mannered NPC (Non-Playable Character) who becomes aware that his ordered life is part of a violent videogame.  The film is surprisingly successful on all levels: the in-game world, the real world, the romance and as a metaphor for our everyday humdrum lives.  Ryan Reynolds walks just the right side of his usual quirky/smug line, Jodie Comer is effective in her first major movie role, the Disney buy-up enables a couple of fun surprise gags, and Taika Waititi's energy lights up every scene in which he appears.  Free Guy is well-crafted, energetic and very entertaining.

 

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