A 2021 Science Fiction action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Shawn Levy, Free Guy tells the story of Guy: a bank teller unaware that he's a background character in an online open-world video game called Free World, a mash of Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite.
Everything changes when two programmers named Milly (Jodie Comer) and Keys (Joe Keery) develop code that's inserted into the game. During a bank robbery, Guy suddenly becomes aware of the day-to-day routine he repeats and attempts to stop the robbery. In the aftermath, he discovers the truth about his so-called world.
With new allies, Guy aims to remake himself into a hero in a world built for the bad guys. But in doing so, he creates a race against time. Guy must work hard and level up if he's to save his world before the game's developers pull the plug...
Free Guy contains examples of:
- Action Girl: In the trailer, Milly aka Molotov Girl strolls down the streets filled shooting and explosions, getting in gunfights, and using two guns while backwards on a motorcycle.
- Advertising by Association: Parodied; The first trailer begins by naming the movies of producer Disney (namely Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King), and ending it with "Twice".
- Apologetic Attacker: While defending himself from a cowboy in the trailer, Guy ends up breaking his arm. He is noticeably horrified and apologizes before knocking him out.
- Biting-the-Hand Humor: The first trailer starts with a small dig at Disney's recent live-action remakes. Guess who produces this movie? note
- Goggles Do Something Unusual: In the trailer, Guy gains a pair of glasses that a player wore in-game. Donning them allows him to see that his world is actually a video game by showing him stuff such as player stats, game missions, powerups, and etc.
- Heroic BSoD: Guy is in shock after accidentally killing a player in the trailer, staring blankly and saying the man's sleeping before he books it.Guy: He's just resting.
Bud: In pieces! That man is dead!
Guy: He's so sleepy...
- Or Are You Just Happy to See Me?: After Milly lands on Guy's lap in the trailer.Milly: Is that a Glock in your pocket?
Guy: No.
Milly: What?
Guy: It’s two Glocks.
[Milly smiles and takes the Glocks.]
Guy: Oh!
- Take That!: In one promotional video, Ryan Reynolds and Taika Waititi talk about how pleased they are to be working together for the first time...blatantly ignoring the fact that they were both in Green Lantern.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: In the trailer, none of the NPCs see anything wrong with all the chaos and violence happening around them.
