Movie Review – Freelance

So far, Freelance has a 0% on RottenTomatoes from the critics with 14 reviews in. What exactly did they expect? There’s no question that this isn’t a great movie if you’re comparing it to, you know, all movies ever. But for what it tries to be, it does a pretty good job.

No one will win any awards for this movie, but it shows up for work and gets the job done better than expected. The acting is good, and I think that comes down to the script. The character Mason, played by John Cena, feels like it was written for him. Meaning it’s precisely in his wheelhouse as an actor. It doesn’t ask too much of him, but the character also has some depth. Alison Brie was a really good choice for the reporter. She’s funny without trying too hard.

The script was written by Jacob Lentz. It seems that most of his experience comes from writing for the Jimmy Kimmel Show, which he has won a few awards for. Because of RunPee, I have to watch a lot of movies. Something I’ve noticed is that many movie scripts feel like they need two or three more edits before they really nail it. It’s like the producers, or whoever is making the decision to start filming, read the script and said, this is good enough when clearly it could have been better.

This script feels like it was given the proper attention and edits needed to be about as good as it was going to be. Each character has a clearly defined motivation and backstory, and they behave consistently. I especially like the role of the villain, who isn’t really a villain at all. This isn’t a true story, but it makes you think that the things we see on the news are the perception and probably not the reality.

Again, if you only want to see movies that are going to be instant classics, then pass this by because this ain’t that. But it’s a fun movie if you just want a good story that isn’t entirely predictable, as are many movies in this genre.

By the way, it’s worth mentioning that this isn’t an action movie. The action scenes that we have are incidental to the story and if anything I think they could have been shorter. But on the bright side, the helicopter chase was an excellent Peetime, so I won’t complain too much.

Grade: B-

About The Peetimes: I have two decent Peetimes, the first and last, and one recommended Peetime in the middle.

There are extra scenes during, or after, the end credits of Freelance.

Rated:	(R) Violence and Language
Genres:	Action, Comedy
Starring:	Alice Eve, Alison Brie, John Cena
Director:	Pierre Morel
Writer(s):	Jacob Lentz
Language:	English, Spanish, French
Country:	United States

Plot
An ex special forces operator takes a job to provide security for a journalist as she interviews a dictator, but, a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview, they are forced to escape into the jungle where they must…