Free Guy Parent Review written by the Unicorn (Kate) on March 3rd, 2022. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch
Movie: Free Guy
Rating: PG-13
Age Suggestion: 12+
Running Time: 1 hour and 55 minutes
Release Date: August 13, 2021
Where to Stream: Disney+ and HBO Max
Warnings: Some strong language, sexual innuendos, strong violence (with minimal to no gore)
Quick Free Guy Summary
Guy is a happy go lucky non-playable character (or NPC) who’s life and routine are the same each day, constantly being subjected to the mayhem caused by the glasses people. But when Guy sees the girl of his dreams, who happens to be a glasses person, he resolves to get with her at all costs, opening him up to a whole new world.
Free Guy Parent Review
-Is Free Guy Appropriate for Younger Kids?-
This movie is definitely better for a family movie night with kids 12+. There is some strong language, while still maintaining its PG-13 rating. There is mild blood, violence, and gore, with most of it happening in the video game setting, so there are little to no consequences, because they can respawn like nothing happened.
-Characters & Acting-
Ryan Reynolds is fantastic in this movie! He is funny and loveable as Guy, and plays him in a way that makes you want the best for him. Jodie Comer and Joe Keery are also great here as Millie and Keys. My absolute favorite character was Taika Waititi as Antwan. He was such a jerk but he was hilarious. The characters feel decently well developed, and the relationships between them feel real and interesting.
-Script & Story-
The story was arguably the most interesting part of this movie. Taking the idea of a game similar to Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto and inserting a character who has sentience is a fascinating idea. The romantic story between Millie and Keys is cute and feels reminiscent of 2000s rom coms. There are a lot of references to pop culture, including cameos from various actors, plus some cool references to Marvel and Star Wars.
-Film Quality-
The special effects in this movie were nominated for an Academy Award, and I think they deserve the nomination. The cinematography is fine, but not super interesting.
Free Guy Discussion Questions:
1) What did you think about Millie and Keys’ game that Antwan ripped off? Is that a game you would play? What kind of video games do you like to play?
2) At the end of the movie, Guy and all the other NPCs now have free will. Is the idea of free will scary to you? Or is it comforting, or some other emotion?
3) Did you recognize any of the youtubers or streamers from the movie?
4) What did you think of Antwan’s actions? Do you know jerks like him in the real world?
5) Would you want to live in Free City?
Meet the Author- Kate
Kate is a young disabled writer based in Iowa. She’s obsessed with anything Marvel, Disney, or theatre. She can normally be found performing, singing dramatically in the car.
Instagram: @kit_kat_kate_cat
TikTok: @kathrynthecat
Thanks for reading our Free Guy Parent Review. Here’s what to check out next:
-Family-Friendly Suggestions for Disney Plus and HBO Max
-Lessons from the Uncharted Movie
-How to Play Miles Morales Video Game with your kids
Down The Hobbit Hole Blog and Free Guy Parent Review use affiliate links. We only link products we think you’ll like and you are never charged extra for them. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. We also use cookies to gather analytics and present advertisements. This allows us to keep writing discussion questions and telling ridiculous dad jokes. Find our other reviews with discussion questions here. Our posts about faith here. And our posts about family stuff here.