There’s a new crop of movies on Netflix this August, and one of them is an underrated action movie you may never have heard of — Freelance, starring John Cena and Alison Brie.
If you’re looking for a fun adventure film with surprising twists and great action sequences, don’t miss this wild ride of a movie, which should have been a bigger hit.
Since it’s now one of Netflix’s most popular movies, Watch With Us is breaking down why you should watch Freelance in August 2025.
It’s an All-Too-Rare Original Action-Adventure Comedy
Jokes, fight sequences and explosions are a winning combination, but these days it’s rare to see an action comedy that’s a totally original story. Marvel and DC dominate the genre, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s nice to see a standalone, original story. Some of our favorite underrated action comedies from the last decade have included The Fall Guy, a reboot of an ’80s TV show, and The Lost City, which, despite not being based on existing IP, was basically a new version of Romancing the Stone. Freelance is neither of those — it’s an original story that avoids many of the classic tropes.
Cena plays Mason Pettits, an ex–Special Forces operative who’s settled into a boring desk job at a law firm to be there for his wife (Alice Eve) and daughter. But he takes an assignment escorting journalist Claire Wellington (Brie) into the Latin American nation of Paldonia to interview its leader, dictator Juan Venegas (Juan Pablo Raba). Refreshingly, Claire and Mason aren’t love interests — Mason is devoted to his family and eager to get back to them. And Venegas, ostensibly a corrupt dictator, isn’t what he seems.
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‘Freelance’ Is an Excellent Use of Cena’s Talents
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Apart from Dwayne Johnson, few actors have handled the transition from wrestling to acting as well as Cena, who gets to flex all his muscles — literal and figurative — in this movie. Fans of his comedy in movies like Blockers, The Suicide Squad and Trainwreck will appreciate his performance in Freelance, which lets him show off both his stunt and physical comedy skills while also playing the straight man opposite Brie and Raba. Rather than being the punchline, Cena gets to be really freaking cool — a capable action hero who kicks butt and saves the day, without sacrificing laughs.
Alison Brie Gets to Shine in ‘Freelance’
Alison Brie is one of our favorite actresses, and she does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to jokes in this movie. As Claire, she plays a journalist on her last chance at redemption after being caught lying in one of her stories. Her desperation to get the “scoop of a lifetime” pushes her into increasingly absurd situations.
If you enjoyed Brie in shows like Community and Glow, you’ll love seeing her lead a feature film. She’s got the comedic chops to carry the movie, and while she’s not leading the action scenes, she gets a few moments that showcase the stunt work she picked up in Glow.
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Freelance is the perfect summer action movie — it’s fast-paced, it’s silly and it leans on the talent of its stars. With that in mind, it’s no surprise it’s doing so well on Netflix this month.
Watch Freelance on Netflix.
