User Reviews

Freelance has a strangely low budget feel that is coupled with very tongue-in-cheek lines. It is a film that cannot be taken seriously. However... the silliness rests on a quite poignant issue. How malign private operators exploit countries for their resources. Although this is buried away under the cheesy action scenes, looking back it is something that has stuck with me. Whether this is by design, I do not know. But the more I think about it, the more I realise the film included some clever nods towards recent dictators and various situations around the world. At the very least, some thought has gone into the film.

That to one side. John Cena is John Cena. I would like to see more of Alison Brie on the big screen, she is someone who seems to have a lot of talent that is not being used to its full extent. That is evident here, she brings something extra to her two-dimensional character in Freelance. Not a lot, though.

It is a film without revelation. If you watch it, you cannot be surprised by its mediocrity.

I am gonna echo a few of the reviewers before me. This movie is somewhat in between a comedy and an action movie, yet never fully goes into any of the 2 genres despite not holding on the blood. There is a few "chuckles" moment but there was never really big hillarious moments. There is a few cool action scenes but they are not that numerous considering the 1h50 runtime.

That said the movie does have us guessing a bit in parts of the plot and never get too predictable, and John Cena charisma truly manage to keep us invested. Alison Brie is both gorgeous and charismatic as well as the sidekick. Juan Pablo Raba also has some pretty cool moments as the over the top dictator.

Basically this is a movie i enjoyed watching but i don't see myself rewatching until a pretty long time. It did the job it was suppose to do wich is entertain me for roughly 2 hours.

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.

Freelance started out strong for me and I enjoyed the overall camaraderie between Claire and John Cena's character. The premise is an interesting one and it reminded me of a few films such as the upcoming Argyle and the Lost City - which I feel are throwbacks to Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile per Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. These have long been two of my favorite romantic adventure stories so I felt freelance fell in line with that and I quite enjoyed it.

So for those who are looking for something that falls between the Lost City and any of the otehr above mentioned films, I think this is a hit.

This movie is one step shy of being an action movie, one step shy of being a comedy, 2 steps past being an actually interesting political drama with a step or two behind the dash of a journalism thriller.

Some interesting political commentary weaves through the story to mask the, at times, underwhelming action sequences and make up for the slapsticky humor that might seem a bit immature or flat.

It was fun, and that's all you can ask for out of something like this. John Cena has some good comedic chops and Alison Brie can go from stone cold to likable and charismatic in a snap.

Fun time at the movies if you ask me.

Watching Freelance was such a strange experience. There is so much wrong with it. It's filled with stupid moments and things that make no sense. The story and action are completely unrealistic. Yet I found myself invested and entertained. Not once did I feel bored or like "I don't want to be here."

I guess it's just an amusing premise with some charming actors. And while unrealistic, the action scenes are pretty fun and mostly well-shot. There are a couple decent fight scenes and a few memorable moments.

Having said all that, there are so many flaws. The most egregious examples occur during the action scenes. Bullets seem to be the least effective method of killing. There is an extensive scene with two characters running through an open field with no cover. And a helicopter is UNLOADING bullets and missiles on them. It's basically two minutes of them running with bullets and explosions all around them.

In multiple other scenes, someone will fire numerous shots at short distances and hit nothing. It's so obvious. It would offend even the most lenient of viewers. Also, for a comedy there isn't much humor. I only laughed a few times.

Even with all the flaws, I didn't mind watching this. It's not "good." But I'll take this over 95% of the straight-to-streaming (straight-to-boredom) movies.

(1 viewing, 1/15/2024)

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.

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.

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.

Supposedly an action comedy, but it was both lacking in comedy and in action.

The bad; I didnt laugh once, I smirked a few times (at the start) that was about it. Comedy is personal, maybe other folks might find it hilarious, but it left me cold.

What's good though is that it doesnt aim to be a farce. It does inject enough reality into the story to make it believable (ish).

What's lacking as well though is the action part. There is little to none action and when there is some it is kinda childish. Not riveting or excting in any way.

This movie seems targetted at a teenage / family audience. So you wont get annoyed by it or offended, the worst that could happen (and did happen to me) is that you might get pretty bored by the bland story and the lack of humour.

Once I realized it was a comedy, I just relaxed and went with the flow. It was actually pretty funny and enjoyable. The more I watched, the more engrossed I got. I thought the dictator character was hilarious. It was good for an enjoyable evening. If you saw True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger, this is the same type of action comedy. I actually liked this one better. The only thing that put me off was the dopey first-person narrative at the beginning. I almost stopped watching before that was over. I'm very glad I didn't because the story just drew me in, the more I watched. Don't expect any Academy Award acting and relax.

Freelance is a funny, comedy action movie. Its fast paced and funny and was a great movie to wile away a cold winter evening. It's not going to win any awards, but I didn't want an award winning movie, I wanted something fun to take my mind off things and Freelance delivered.

It takes a cut at the US' foreign policy too and the games they play to get their hands on others resources, but isn't too preachy about it. Cena and Brie are great on screen together and Brie is absolutely stunning in some scenes.

A decent popcorn movie with laughs and action. Would recommend it to pass the time if you don't want to think too much.

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.

This film reminded me of Dwayne's movie The Rundown with an overall picturesque theme of a Far Cry game. Compared to Dwayne's movie, this seemed like a lighter version of it with repulsive characters. Alison's character was that of a teenage girl with an entitled princess attitude, and John's was like a genetically blessed pre-teen who when asked to do something does it like an enthusiastic teen (hey buddy, wash the car please like thing), but nothing else goes behind those two eyes. Venegas character's flair reminded me of Aladeen from The Dictator film. I think the audience for the film was teenagers, and adults who hate teenagers that act like there is no real world consequences and are able to get away from the consequences. Is this worth of your money ? Spend it, if you really want to just laugh with a group of people even if the jokes are cliched, and see some 30 second ammo bursting sequences that could be seen while lazily swiping through movie clip reels.

I am a huge WWE fan. I am a huge John Cena fan. I feel I need to say that so you know where I come from. I am a fan and have loved Cena the wrestler as well as Cena the actor. Cena is trying as actor to be more than one dimensional because of his physique. I think he should have been the next big action star but he wants to have an open mind and do films of every genre possible. I respect that. And he has done a good job in some films like Vacation Friends. But man this movie Freelance is a miss.

Freelance is an absolutely boring film where nothing seems to be happening. The movie itself is 1 hour and 45 minutes. The first hour is basically just nothing happening. I actually fell asleep on this and tried to finish watching.

I don't know what this movie is suppose to be. It's not really an action film because the action really, there is none up until the final 15 minutes. So, if you're looking for action, none here. You want adventure? Not much here either? That's the issue with the film. What is it?

So, yeah, Freelance is a pretty dull movie that drags on forever before anything interesting really happens, the main characters are bland. Cena is really robotic as a serious actor, which is why I wish he would be an action star and let his physicality do the talking. Here, he's just way too robotic.

Anyway, Freelance is a pretty boring, bland, film not worth watching unless you want to see Cena's acting progression.

Protagonist Mason Pettits trained as a lawyer but ended up enlisting in the US Army and after training joined the Special Forces. Then during a mission to assassinate Juan Venegas, a Latin American dictator, his helicopter is shot down. He is the only survivor. Now medically unfit to serve he returns to the law, a job he doesn't enjoy. He also marries and starts a family. One day he is approached by a former colleague. He is now a private military contractor and wants Mason for what should be an easy job... to act as a body guard for Claire Wellington, a journalist who is going to interview the very dictator he had been tasked with killing. Inevitably things don't go smoothly. An attack on the President's convoy leaves Mason, Claire and Venegas stranded in the jungle while hostile forces hunt them down. Mason will gradually learn that many things aren't what he thought they were as unlikely alliances are formed to fight the real villains.

I thought this film was rather fun. Sure it is silly but it delivered plenty of action and a good number of laughs. The story is decent enough, delivering some nice twists and turns before the final confrontation. The action, which includes several shootouts, explosions and hand to hand combat is exciting and well choreographed. The cast is solid; John Cena impresses as Mason, is fun as Alison Brie as Claire and Juan Pablo Raba is surprisingly amusing as President Venegas. We also get a nice little cameo from Christian Slater as Mason's employer/friend. The Colombian locations used are impressive and give a genuine feel to the fictional country where the action takes place. The light hearted nature of the film means that one rarely fears for our protagonists no matter how bleak their situation appears to be. One might expect a cliché romantic subplot between the leads but thankfully this film tactfully eschews that. Overall I'd hardly say this is a must see but I'd still recommend it to anybody wanting action and a bit of a laugh.

Where do I begin? I suppose the movie starts out okay. We're introduced to John Cena's character, Mason Pettits, a special forces/lawyer who's unhappy at home and his job and is married to his wife, Alice Eve (Jenny Pettits), who doesn't love or appreciate him at all. His old war buddy (Christian Slater), who owns a private security firm, tracks him down and offers him a job to protect a journalist who is played by Allison Brie. Allison is tasked with interviewing President Venegas, but on the way to his estate they are attacked by a military outfit that is attempting a coup. This is where the story takes off, but this is also where I started to check out.

The director's directing of his actors is abysmal. The script is dreadful. The "comedy" feels forced and not funny. And the music score is overly loud and out of place. The "action" mainly consists of them running away and the bad guys having storm trooper aim. Allison Brie's character is there to just be an annoyance and further the dumb. The cinematography is good, but unfortunately having a movie that looks good is not something that makes watching a movie enjoyable if everything else is mediocre. The acting barely passes as acting, but I guess it does pass. I don't recommend seeing this in the theatre. It's something much more digestible as something you consume on a streaming platform. It passes the time, but you'll likely forget about it a few hours after seeing it.

I don't want to say I don't like it, but I have to say that I can't help but to feel how underused John Cena is ever sense his debut action movie the Marine.

I guest I have to respect his attempts to be a serious actor, but seriously?

This movie could have been the next Commando. Cena was screaming "I'm Arnold Schwarzenegger as John Matrix!" Once again, did not hate his performance but the potential of this movie overall could have been so much more but it truly does not feel like they were focus on that. It's all more of a parady of an action movie than anything else.

Bonus points for little Alison Bree being all sexy in this flick. Also thought the guy (who i don't know) playing the dictator was great with what he does.

I need to say it once again. Did not hate this movie but Cena is just too darn big not to give more 80s nostalgia when it comes to action movies.

Freelance is a new action comedy directed by Pierre Morel, director of Peppermint and Taken.

Former special forces agent Mason Pettits (John Cena) has left the military to start a family. As a result, he ended up with a boring desk job. Because he misses the action, he starts as a freelance security guard. For example, he has to protect journalist Claire Wellington (Alison Brie) when she goes to interview the infamous dictator Venegas (Juan Pablo Raba).

During this interview, a coup takes place, forcing the three to unexpectedly flee and survive together in the jungle.

Pierre Morel has not been able to produce a similar action film since Taken. At Taken he was fortunate to be able to work with stories written by action experts such as Luc Besson. With Freelance he unfortunately has to work with a script written by Jacob Lentz, for whom this is only his first film story. He has also written more for talk programs such as Jimmy Kimmel's.

The comedy level remains more at the level of comedy from such talk shows. This keeps the comedy at a low level and a bit on the predictable or repetitive side. Unfortunately, there is little to laugh about in this film.

Most of the action scenes are also more familiar and reminiscent of other action films such as The Lost City from last year. The film tries to come across as a better jungle action film like First Blood or Predator, but continues to lack this action quality.

Due to the lesser action and comedy qualities, John Cena unfortunately gets few opportunities to make something special of this role. Unfortunately, the same applies to the rest of the cast members. Alison Brie and Juan Pablo Raba have been known more for TV series lately in their acting careers. With this film they try to break through again with acting in films, but unfortunately they do not succeed so successfully with films of this quality.

Lets get this out in the open. This isn't a serous movie, this isn't a high budget film, but it's still good fun for a lighthearted movie.

Our characters get some simple growth to their personality, they are not 1 dimensional characters. The action scenes are OK, they are not great. The humor again, is mild with some good chuckles and occasional dud.

So far i seem to have described a perfectly bland movie, but the real gem is in the twists and how that relates to what the audience knows at that moment.

To me this movie is a satirical take on some of the action movies of the late 90's and early 2000's. It's 109 minutes overall, and if you can't decide on what to watch give it a chance.

Look you will know if this show is for you or not. It is obvious it had some issues with re shoots and directing and was relatively low budget. Some acting was good and some pretty terrible. Some lines are great and some rubbish but overall I quite enjoyed it. Cena is a complete hunk and Alison Brie is absolutely gorgeous. Friday night fare when you have had a couple of drinks some good food and you haven't decided this is the big movie for the night but might be a bit of grub later then this is absolutely fine. It reminded me of watching some quite rubbish films on vhs in the 80s but I didn't actually mind !

I have to admit.. I half expected this to completely suck.

But it manages to get something somewhat right.. a charming "villainous" Presidente of a Colombia(?) Country and its volatile situation. As the script develops, it paints an understandable and believable picture, as if IT was the main character of the movie.. so it isn't a total loss.

I still found it boring.

With a skippable start, awkward interactions, strange line delivery, atrocious pacing and scenes that last just long enough to feel weird. Not to mention the bad CGI, dull action and intrigue. Also, calling this a comedy is a lie straight out! But the most disappointing part has to be the cast (aside from the mentioned President), that could have been comprised of any "Hollywood star", honestly. Those in place don't add anything to it. And Alison Brie continues to get roles that show how replaceable she seems to be.. which is sad.

Would I recommend this?

Not if you have to pay for it.. It lacks imagination, creativity and memorability in almost every department.

The Plot was basic, but real. Action scenes was fun, and lousy AF at times lol. There are few comic scenes which bought a smile not a full fledged laugh. There are few scenes to experience actors true skills. The emotion and the drama. Would probably get a applaud in theater but not something you would remember for long time. It was fun watch, I kept my expectation low to start with, so was not disappointed. John Cena was always on a soft side for me as an actor. I am sure the low rating are from people who had high expectations, But the moment you stop searching for errors you would probably start enjoying the movie for what its worth.

There was plenty of action. It was well cast. The story was paint by numbers, but I expected that. One could quibble about the execution in parts, but that wasn't very important to me. It was an easy watch and I was not annoyed while watching it. I'm glad I didn't spend money to go see it, but watching it on Hulu was just fine.

I like John Cena most of the time, even if he's playing a type of himself. Himself. That was the case here but he sold the part of a former special forces guy.

The story was a little silly and also a little convoluted. Actually, it was a lot convoluted. Again, for this kind of movie I don't care. Actually, I thought to myself that the story could have been worse.

Overall, recommended as long as you're not spending money for it.