Freelance

John Cena struggles in the comedic aspects of his role as a buffoonish bodyguard, coming across as silly and unintelligent rather than funny. However, his character abruptly shifts into wisecracking fight mode when action sequences emerge, creating a lack of continuity.

Alison Brie brings little authenticity or nuance to what should be an intrepid journalist character. Her bold persona feels more like a facade, lacking the complexity that would make her motivations more compelling.

The film touches on the overdone theme of bad marriages leading to bitterness and divorce. While reflecting some realities, its portrayal leans into stereotypical notions about self-centered western culture. It offers no meaningful perspectives on relationships.

The supporting cast delivers far stronger performances, adding a groundedness that the story desperately lacks. Even the villains showcase more subtlety than the two leads.

The plot is straightforward with an absence of clever twists or unexpected turns. It does attempt some commentary on the insidiousness of dictatorships, but in uninspired fashion.

Overall, Freelance assembles an impressive cast but fails to make good use of their talents. The promising premise gives way to shallow characters and a lack of directorial creativity. Fans of the genre may forgive its shortcomings, but for most viewers the film lives down to its generic title.

In silly action comedy "Freelance" ex-Special forces John Cena's bored with civilian life (married to Alice Eve) til his ex-boss Christian Slater (now running a private security firm) hires him to bodyguard journalist Alison Brie (always likeable) as she goes to interview flashy dictator Juan Pablo Raba (good) in his South American republic... where mercenary Marton Csokas leads a coup attempt, and twisty chaos, bloodshed & double-dealing ensues. It's poorly directed (especially the fight scenes) by the experienced Pierre Morel, but written engagingly enough by the debuting Jacob Lentz. It's light & forgettable, but passable enough entertainment for undemanding viewers.

Freelance is a decent action comedy held up by strong character performances particularly from Juan Pablo Raba. The film takes obvious inspiration from The Lost City, replacing artifacts and authors for hit jobs and journalists. The chemistry between the cast is there and the dialog feels natural. Some scenes feel shoehorned in which detracts from the overall story. However overall the twists feel mostly original and provide a compelling plot.

Raba absolutely nails his role as a Castro-ish ruthless dictator who feigns ignorance. His deliveries are perfectly timed and at times he carries the entire weight of the story.

John Cena and Alison Brie were great in their roles with palpable chemistry as well however their roles were somewhat hamstrung by clumsy writing.

Overall this is a fun and exciting movie for adults. It's not a perfect production but it's a worthy film if not entirely held up by strong acting.

Not bad but not much to write home about either. Felt somewhat original but still a bit forgettable. I wasn't a big fan of the POV camera shots at the beginning. Just from the voice narrating you knew it was John Cena. His character didn't quite embody the persona of a grown-up adult but that was intentional.

Ohhh I should say I absolutely loved that they portrayed him as a stand up-guy with morals. Hate it when a guy can't just be a decent person and has to resort to cheating or something. You could see it coming, they literally built up that cheesy romcom tension leading to that one predictable moment.

John Cena was good here, one of his better roles in my opinion, more natural acting. He has that "dumb steroid" walk, which suits certain roles but feels a bit out of place in a suit and tie, accentuates the "dumb" part lol. Also nice to see Christian Slater, I only knew him from "Mr. Robot."

It was funny at times. And I really loved the hand combat scenes. There is a lot of violence, the action adds an extra star to the rating for me. Doesn't lean too heavily into any specific genre. It's laidback, fun and funny, mildly adventurous action movie. It could have been more intense and complex for drama, or more absurd for comedy, or pushed the action for a spy thriller, or even hammered home the political side; but it stays fairly balanced.

Doesn't take itself seriously. My initial thought leaving the theater was, "this would make a great pastime movie." It's worth checking out if you aren't expecting to be awed. Respectfully I don't think anybody walks into a John Cena movie expecting to be blown away. I wasn't and the movie felt better than I expected so I enjoyed it. There are certainly better films out there, but there are also worse ones.

LIKES:

Fun Pace: -The movie does not take much time to build up to the mission at hand. It's a quick montage, a little showing of life similar to the Incredibles, and then right to the fun.

-That momentum carries throughout the film, a comedic festival of shooting, dodging, and meandering that will be very entertaining.

-Like a big YouTube skit, the movie just throws one section of jokes, rants, and actions to make you laugh, and to be honest, it's very fun.

-The two hours quickly flew by and I found this movie just pure escapism, with limited struggles for getting caught up in some historical drama or political agenda talk that many movies thrive on today.

The Story: -It's nothing amazing, but it's a wholesome story, and one that I think serves to anchor the ridiculous antics of Cena and company.

-His character Mason is a solider, sort of, with a lot of issues I've helped people with, and that relevant factor and respect was great fuel for helping him grow in this crazy comedy.

-The simplistic tale holds some self-discovery for me as an audience member, some important moral lessons that could be learned well right now, but never too preachy or getting lost from the main tale.

-And some other characters do well to have their own tales have relevance, many crossing and further supporting the main story to help include all characters.

-All of it had the comedic tone to it, with just some elements of sobering seriousness to help give a relief to the fun.

The Acting: -Another cast of characters that are fun, but forgettable, Freelance's acting is in line with being a lot of fun for the feel of the film.

-I start with Eve. She's not bad, she's just not that involved outside of one arc of the story. A great execution, with a good press on the pulse of real characters, she accomplishes much, but just needed a bigger part.

• Juan Pablo Raba was a great opposite to Cena. His character has a lot of qualities to him, and Raba somehow managed to hit every one in a fantastic element for my reviewer. He's funny, passionate, silly, suave, and charming, but yet corrupt, noble, brave, and a coward all in one. This wild card character is almost the star of the show for me and the acting and chemistry he has just really makes this character somehow annoying, but fun.

-Brie is beautiful to start out with, and I just loved the looks, and costumes she owned in the movie. As for acting, her comedy roots shine hard, and stay hard, with a nice little twist that works for a better character than I expected in the first shots. Her chemistry is solid with both of her male travelers, and her outtakes are even better.

-Cena is the star of the movie though, and he unleashes the full might of his comedy into one movie. The wrestler is silly, clumsy, and but cuddly, a man with who executes a trouble character well, and gives an actin punch.

-It's like Fast and Furious X, stupid and simple, but now with more personality and surprisingly a more realistic scenario than the speed chase. Again, it's a lot of fun, it's silly stupidity, and I quite enjoyed it.

The Comedy: -It's a stupid film, and nothing that is unique from what we have seen, but again it's enjoyable and simple waste of time.

-Freelance is loaded with comedic components to whet your appetite, pleasing you with a lot of one-offs and situational humor that actually holds to my memory, probably due to how they built upon things with each joke iteration.

-You want political humor that stays tasteful? Well this movie does it, feeling like a political cartoon without being too over complicated.

-You want situational slapstick and physical comedy? It delivers! Cena, Raba, and Brie all get their fair share of hard knocks that had my buddy and me in stitches as they rolled about.

-How about banter and insults? Yep, you've got that covered too! Puns galore fill the dialogue, alongside some incredibly diverse insults, pokes, and name-calling that have some witty placement.

-I loved how well they jabbed at each other and how natural it went, even crossing into adult comedy, but never crossing too many lines or becoming fixated on it, until the bloopers. That was by far the best part for me in this film, and the highlight of the movie.

Dislikes:

Predictable: -This should be no surprise, but the movie was not designed to be unique or have the most thrilling story loaded with surprises, twists, and gut wrenching revelations.

-The tale is weaker than I would have liked, a sort of afterthought that just seems built for finding the avenue to unleash jokes. And though it works, I would have liked a little more investment.

-A little more suspense? Maybe adding a little more twist and uniqueness or some story to Brie's character to help? Something to make it more memorable, that started coming at the end of the film.

-Even the allusions of the complex political game are sort of uncoordinated and wasteful, another element that would have worked to help add that spice.

A More Memorable Villain: -There are a lot of "villains" in this movie, but there is one consistent one that I thought had more props from the opening start.

-Sadly, this villain is stereotypical, with more threatening gaze and planning than actual bite that I wanted to see.

-The end game gives him soothing of a presence and need for inclusion, but much of the film just overtakes him, and much of his involvement is lost to hasty integrations and one part of the plot that by that point was not needed.

The Action: -Another thing that felt like an aside, the movie really struggles for action scenes that felt like they were awesome, cool, or even necessary for showing up.

-Freelance's fights have some moments that are cool, but feel like failed comedic tools that did little to advance the movie or add suspense to the fun thriller.

-Chase scenes are boring, shoot outs feel inconsistent and somewhat forced, and even the physical comedy is very staged and lacking the storytelling, comedy, or again excitement as it feels like an afterthought.

-To be honest, it almost wasn't necessary, but the cute moments, some of the motivation, and dare I say some comedy lines saved this part from being a total flop.

The Verdict: Freelance is a fun movie that has a lot of chops in the comedy department, despite how forgettable it may seem. The treasure comes in the comedy and just escape you have with this film, not bogged down by any heavy plots, over intense horror, or even ultra-violent comedy that seems to be the trend. Instead, it's a movie that balances some decent storytelling, with a lot of good chemistry in ribbing, puns, and variety to feel like three friends stuck in an awkward situation. A pace that is not too fast, nor too slow, it handles the simplistic story with ease, gives those moments to settle down and teach lessons, and reset before more madness happens. It is a bit silly, it's stupid for sure, and it needs some work in the memorable moments and action, but at the core, Freelance is just a fun movie night in to laugh and enjoy. I'd say to hit the theaters, but I think this one is going to be favored for the comfort of home in case it's too silly for you. My scores for all this are:

Action/Comedy: 6.5 Movie Overall: 6.0.