Pranav Pannala

I thought HIMYF came across as an awkward and frail attempt to recapture the magic of HIMYM. HIMYM had so many running gags and inside jokes for people watching the show, and its painfully clear that HIMYF is attempting to do the same thing but is not achieving the same effect. Every episode they attempt to remake something like the “Olive theory” or “Suit Up!” but fall short with things like “the Brooklyn Bridge” person or “trademark.” When I watched HIMYM I genuinely did not notice the laugh track, but I cringed every time the laughing came on at HIMYF’s jokes. To be honest, it reminds me of a Disney Channel show. Honestly, I don’t really blame the creators for this one though. HIMYM was impossibly good and had a perfect storm of an amazing cast, writers, and an audience who needed this type of show. No rehash of this show was ever going to live up to the original. In the age of streaming, though, I don’t see why people would need a show like HIMYF. If they wanted to watch a more quirky, niche show, anyone can just stream HIMYM or Community. I think they rebooted this show for the sake of rebooting it but have failed to realize that there is no real need for this show. Just to not be all terrible, there is something I did like about HIMYF. Bit of a spoiler for the first episode, but I thought it was interesting that they revealed that one of the male characters in the first episode was the father. Could definitely be interesting for the fans to formulate theories over the course of the show. Also the representation has definitely improved as we move away from the “white friends hanging out in a bar/coffee shop” type show.

I really enjoyed this movie! This film was thoroughly entertaining from start to end, especially to those familiar with the gaming community. Ryan Reynolds is hilarious, as usual, and the plot is comprehensible and not too hard to follow. While it may not be an Oscar contender, Free Guy makes you feel for each of the characters and is ultimately, a super-fun movie-going experience!