Free Guy Movie Review

When we talk about making change, the first step is to move out of our comfort zone. But what happens when we don’t even know that the zone exists?

The protagonist in the new movie Free Guy, Guy (Ryan Reynolds) is an NPC (non player character) in a video game. Unaware that he is a background character, he repeats his day over and over again. When he is not working at the local bank, Guy spends his free time with his best friend Buddy (Lil Rel Howery).

Everything he knows turns upside when he sees his dream woman, Millie (Jodie Comer). Breaking his everyday routine, he follows her. This tiny act of change starts Guy on a path of revelations that changes everything. What he does not know is that in the real world, Millie is suing Antwan (writer/director/actor Taika Waititi) for copyright infringement. But her co-creator, Keys (Joe Keery), is not onboard with the lawsuit.

This movie is so much fun. It is also one of the most unique narratives that has been seen on the big screen in a long time. The action is fun and heart pounding, the comedy is pitch perfect, and the satire of these type of games works for all audiences. I am not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination, but I got the jokes.

The acting kudos goes to the lead actors. Guy’s optimism and innocence is a nice contrast to Millie’s skepticism and darker view of their mutual experiences. It is a lovely ying and yang relationship that keeps both the characters and the viewer on their toes.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Free Guy is currently in theaters.

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Throwback Thursday-Just Friends (2005)

For some, high school is a time of joy, youth and fun. For others, it’s the reason many of us only go home for the holidays.

In the 2005 movie, Just Friends, Chris Brander (Ryan Reynolds) high school was far from fun. Overweight, unpopular and secretly in love with Jamie Palamino (Amy Smart). After graduating from high school, Chris leaves his small town for Los Angeles, looses the weight, joins the music industry and become a playboy.

When a trip to Paris is cut short due to a fire, Chris has no choice but to return home and bring Samantha James (Anna Faris), the latest and greatest singing sensation with him. When Chris and Jamie reunite, Chris has one goal: to tell Jamie how he feels about her.

I have mixed feelings about this movie. One on hand, it summarizes how many of us felt during high school. But at the same time, it is very predictable and this movie almost feels like a second rate sequel to a John Hughes high school movie from the 1980’s.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Woman in Gold Movie Review

History is a funny thing. We try to forget, but it always come back when we least expect it. And sometimes, when our history comes back, it allows us to make peace with the past.

Maria Altmann ( nee Bloch-Bauer) lived a charmed life during her early years. The daughter of an influential and wealthy Jewish Viennese family, she lived comfortably until World War II. Then the Nazis invaded Austria. Maria and her husband barely escaped, leaving everyone and everything they loved behind in Vienna. Among her family’s possessions that was confiscated by the Nazis was the portrait of Maria’s aunt, Adele Bloch- Bauer, painted by famed painter Gustav Klimt.

The new film, Woman In Gold, is the story of Maria’s fight to regain possession of the painting and other works of art that the Nazis confiscated from her family.

The film sees Maria during very different stages of her life. Helen Mirren plays the elderly Maria and Tatiana Maslany plays the younger Maria. Fighting along with Maria is Randol Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), a young lawyer whose family has been long connected to Maria’s family.

Helen Mirren, is well, Helen Mirren. She is one of those actresses who never fails to displease an audience. Her Maria is an elderly woman who goes back to Vienna despite the ghosts and the  memories that linger. As the younger Maria, Tatiana Maslany proves why she is one of the best young actresses in the business. Ryan Reynolds, in stepping out of his comfort zone to play Randol, a young lawyer who not only comes to understand and appreciate his heritage, but also knows when it’s time to fight the big boys.

I absolutely recommend this film.

Woman In Gold is presently in theaters.