To Queue or Not to Queue - The Freebie

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The Freebie (2010)


Directed by:  Katie Aselton


Starring:  Dax Shepard, Katie Aselton

I had heard about this one a while back on the festival circuit.  It had been making the rounds and gotten some good reviews.  It seemed like an interesting film.  From the trailer it looks like a comedy, but in reality is a serious movie with some heart and some funny parts.  The basic premise of the movie is that a married couple is struggling with their sex life and they decide that it is in the best interest of each other and their marriage that they both go out and have one night with no consequences.  They give each other both a “freebie.”  They are not sure how this will affect their marriage or how it will affect them.  They both think they have a handle on the situation but they quickly realize that things aren’t always that simple.

Dax Shepard was a curious cast for the male lead, but after watching the movie, it was a fitting maneuver.  He has enough of the everyman feel to him that it seems natural but still enough humor and acting chops to pull off the funny and emotional scenes.  He and Katie Aselton as a couple have a very good rapport and seem very natural.  Katie Aselton is also the director and does a very good job here.  The movie could have been a play in that there weren’t many scene changes and not many different characters but each had their role and it all fit together nice to have a solid little film about relationships, marriage, commitment, and consequences.  This definitely goes in the ‘To Queue’ category.