After the cookie-cutter heist film Red Notice hit streaming services audiences were disappointed to see a rehash of what they've seen countless times before, presenting Ryan Reynolds with a bigger problem than Dwayne Johnson after Red Notice. The crime thriller opened November 5th of 2021 to troubling reviews. Audiences noted that the film seems more like studios are trying to bring three different brands together at the cost of a real story. Red Notice pays too much adherence to its inspirations and much more enjoyable predecessors while forcing viewers to watch its three leads play caricatures of themselves. Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds are wildly talented actors with extremely bankable charm and charisma. Red Notice completely disregards that.
Despite all of is burgeoning with plot holes and headscratchers, prompting audiences to wonder how a script like this was even approved by a major studio like Netflix.
The most disappointing thing about the film is that it promises to deliver based on its bankable cast but ultimately misses the mark. Ryan Reynolds is a shining action hero and comedic talent. The Canadian actor and film producer got his start on the teen soap opera Hillside and started his ascent to stardom when he was cast in the lead role of the sitcom Two Guys and a Girl. His breakout role was the titular character of Van Wilder in National Lampoon's college comedy The Hitman's Bodyguard. However, much like Dwayne Johnson, Reynolds' movie star formula is waning, and a movie like Red Notice proves this in abundance.
Red Notice Relies On Ryan Reynolds & Dwayne Johnson's Movie Personas
The movie relies too heavily on its stars at the expense of an original narrative. Unfortunately, what this means for Ryan Reynolds' career is that he's being pigeonholed by his own comedic talents. While the Deadpool franchise is comedy gold and one of the best Marvel antiheroes around, it might've been the catalyst for Ryan Reynold's brand being fused in the minds of Hollywood's producers. Red Notice only aims to exploit this. Red Notice's Deadpool actor is forced to play his own movie star persona as Nolan Booth, forgoing any sense of a character arc or noticeable growth for that matter. Reynolds ultimately remains stagnant as the character of Booth, and the film does little to highlight his true talent. Rather, it focuses on bringing together three separate brands, and futilely hopes a good movie will somehow form out of it.
Gal Gadot still has some autonomy within her career as the risks repeating mistakes that similar films did for the careers of other pigeonholed actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Agent John Hartley is by no means an original character and neither is Nolan Booth. Booth rattles off quippy one-liners and Reynolds once again plays an antihero with an inferiority complex and way too much to say. The star vehicle lazily tries to promote the film as an original PG-13 heist movie that's fun for the whole family. However, given that Red Notice has a $200 million budget and a $2 million return, it's clear that the film relies too much on its casts' movie personas.
Red Notice Shows Ryan Reynolds' Movie Formula Is Tired
While Waiting... showcased his comedic range in a much more realistic setting than Van Wilder but it also coined his trademark humor. Waiting... brought forth his everyman charm. Anyone who has worked in food service or customer service knows a guy like self-centered and apathetic waiter Monty, which is part of his charm. Unfortunately, as time went on and he gained more critical success from his blockbuster films, and the everyman persona was shed for something different.
Movies like Red Notice causes a big problem for his career going forward. If he stays stuck in this rehashed role, viewers won't be excited for much longer.
Can Ryan Reynolds Break Free From His Movie Formula?
If Ryan Reynolds were to go back to his roots, then he has a good chance of breaking free from his movie persona. Some of his earlier work, such as the 1996 mini-series In Cold Blood, proves that he has the range and the talent to take on more dramatic roles. That being said, some of his projects don't look that promising. Spirited is a musical based on Charles Dicken's classic novel Clue, based on the popular Hasbro board game. Its 1985 predecessor performed well enough, but audiences are feeling it from all of the reboots that studios are pumping out and it's just another indicator that Hollywood is grievously out of touch.
The Adam Project is currently in post-production and follows the story of a man who time travels to the past to get help from his 13-year-old self. Catherine Keener, Zoe Saldana, Jennifer Garner, and Mark Ruffalo also star in the film while Ryan Reynolds takes the lead role. While it'll probably feature a lot of Reynolds' comedic stylings, the sci-fi adventure film boasts a much more unique storyline than that of Red Notice. Hopefully, The Adam Project will deliver something different to audiences than what they're used to from Reynolds, as well as break him out of the rut Hollywood has put him in.
