The Rotten Tomatoes Score For John Cena's Freelance Is Much Worse Than You Think
The premise of "Freelance," and the pedigree of its cast and crew, is promising enough. The film, which premiered on October 27, follows Mason Pettits (John Cena), a former special forces operator whose back injury forced him to retire early and pivot to a legal career. Stuck in his newfound suburban malaise, Mason takes a gig escorting journalist Claire Wellington (Alison Brie) as she interviews the charming dictator of Paldonia, Juan Venegas (Juan Pablo Raba).
Within hours of their arrival, a military coup breaks out. What follows is a foot chase through the South American jungle that borrows from films like "The Lost City," "Romancing the Stone," and director Pierre Morel's more well-known effort, "Taken."
"It should all make for a zippy good time," wrote Angie Han in her review of "Freelance" for The Hollywood Reporter, "crackling with humor and intrigue and punctuated with bursts of thrilling action. But 'Freelance' fails to deliver on every front." Other critics overwhelmingly agree, and as of this writing, "Freelance" has a dismal 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
"Freelance" is described as an action-comedy, but the general consensus is that the film is neither action-packed nor particularly funny. In a one-star review for Slant Magazine, Derek Smith wrote, "As such, the film ultimately feels as aimless as it does airless—too blasé for its more serious messaging to land and not nearly funny enough to make you forget it."
Freelance underutilizes its stars
Many negative critiques of "Freelance" emphasize that John Cena and Alison Brie do their best within the parameters of a shoddy, largely humorless script. "Cena does his best to bring a lighthearted approach to Mason," wrote Ross Bonaime in his D-rated review of "Freelance" for Collider. "Meanwhile, Brie, who has often shown she can be charming and hilarious, is wasted here, frequently becoming either a damsel in distress or becoming the center of attention for her attractiveness."
In the past, Cena hasn't let a few bad Rotten Tomatoes scores extinguish his starpower. The Jackie Chan-starring "Hidden Strike" debuted to 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, and now it has a score of 24%. Cena also appeared in the 0% flop "Fred: The Movie," starring YouTuber Lucas Cruikshank. But another 2023 release from Cena, the acclaimed "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," boasts a score of 96%.
For Brie, "Freelance" is the actor's Rotten Tomatoes nadir, although she has come close with some single-digit stinkers (anyone remember the post-grad comedy "Get a Job"?). For the most part, her Rotten Tomatoes resume is lit up with high-scoring gems like "Promising Young Woman," "The Post," and "The Disaster Artist."
Indeed, the cast was a highlight for most critics. "Despite itself," continued Angie Han in her Hollywood Reporter review, "'Freelance' occasionally stumbles into glimmers of potential, thanks to its unimpeachably professional lead cast." Time will tell if the stars can buoy "Freelance" to a higher Rotten Tomatoes score.