For some reason Stranger Than Fiction with Will Ferrell who hears his life being written in a book, comes to mind as the film Free Guy developes. Here Ryan Reynolds as Guy longs for an existence that does not provide the same activity from day to day. But Guy is no more real than the characters around him, he is a non playable character in the open world video game “Free City.” Guy’s revolt is fueled by two programmers, Millie (Jodie Comer) and Keys (Joe Keery), and opposed by Antwan (Taika Waititi) the game creator.
Guy doesn’t hope to be a real guy, he just wants a different part in the world he lives in. As a non playable character he does not see all that is happening in the Free City he exists in. Each day he wakes talks to his gold fish, has breakfast, wears his blue shirt, and orders the same coffee from another non player Missy (Britne Oldford). On the day he decides to order a different coffee he shakes to foundation of the Free City avatars and the many fans who follow the game carefully each day.
The smartly written script by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn moves at three level the Free City standard game, the challenging activity of the Guy character and the world of the folks who write and control the game and it’s characters.
Guy on a special day, notices an avatar girl who has spectacular martial arts skills. From there on he takes his non life (he is not real) into his own hands. Quickly he picks up a pair of the special glasses that allow him to see beyond the standard sets, to a world that is filled with creative colorful designs that have been off limits to him. Cinematographer, George Richmond creates a spectacular colorful world in a world that doesn’t exist. It’s that action that changes the life in the game and the lives of the players who are doing the creating.
Little pieces of Pleasantville, Groundhog Day, Dark City, The Truman Show, and particularly Star Wars don’t appear as copies but enhancements to the creative script.
Free Guy is creative, interesting and enjoyable and Ryan Reynolds is just right in the part of a revolutionary who isn’t real but changes everything.