Is Free Guy Suitable For Children? Is It Violent?
Free Guy is rated PG-13 for typical fantasy violence, language, and suggestive themes. Any fans of popular action films would love this movie.
With Free Guy arriving on Disney+, parents may wonder whether the movie is appropriate for children. Free Guy seeks to mimic countless open-world video games with a fair amount of cartoon violence, as well as humor that will likely go over the heads of very young viewers. With that in mind, it's fair for parents to ask what age Free Guy is suitable for.
In the movie, Guy (Ryan Reynolds) an NPC who exists in the video game Free City, tries to stop the game's egocentric publisher, Antwan (Taika Waititi) from pulling the plug on his world and replacing it with the next version of the game. He works with two real-world video game developers, Millie (Jodie Comer) and Keys (Joe Keery), and other NPCs to stop Antwan's plan. As Guy goes rogue and levels up within the game, he shows that there's more to video games than just mindless violence. Free Guy's numerous Easter eggs and references to other popular media like the MCU and Star Wars seem to imply a similar target audience, but is that actually the case?
Free Guy is rated PG-13 for typical fantasy violence including heavy gunfire, car chases, and explosions. Guy's typical NPC storyline requires him to cower while his bank is robbed, and the first time he tries to act differently, he steals a player's weapon and accidentally shoots a hole through their abdomen. The violence in this moment and elsewhere is meant to replicate any action-heavy video game, especially first person shooter ones. Although NPCs are constantly dying in the background, the movie rarely frames their deaths as being painful, or even sad. After all, the characters in Free Guy always return to life the next morning as if nothing happened. Guy does occasionally show minor signs of damage from a fight, such as a bloody nose, but never appears to be in much pain, and he remains secure in the knowledge that he cannot actually die. This lack of lasting stakes for much of Free Guy gives all of the violence a bit more of a lighthearted tone than is typical in action films. While there's certainly plenty of it, it's all over-the-top and cartoonish.
Free Guy also received the PG-13 rating due to language and suggestive references. The characters do swear throughout the movie, and Guy drops one F-bomb at a humorous moment. Free Guy also includes many sexual innuendos that will likely go over most young kids' heads. For instance, the character, Keith, in a Free Guy cameo role played in-game by Channing Tatum, jokes that something will make his viewers "banana cream sandwich," which Guy doesn't understand. Later, Guy also tries to relate an offensive joke he heard to Millie, who quickly stops him. These and other moments will probably not be understood by younger viewers, though the subtle adult jokes will certainly amuse older audiences.
Free Guy includes violence and themes that are typical in PG-13 fantasy movies such as Star Wars and the MCU. Unlike them, however, Free Guy's video game setting lowers the stakes for the movie's violence. Any fan of lighthearted action films, especially superhero ones, would greatly enjoy this.
Next: Why Free Guy's Opening Weekend Box Office Was Better Than Expected
