'Fifty Shades Freed' Goes To A Place The Franchise Has Never Been Before

Way to go out with a bang! 

Hannah-Rose Yee
WhimnFebruary 8, 201812:00pm

Hello, 'Fifty Shades Freed'. Photo: UniversalSource:Whimn

It's a good joke: It's called Fifty Shades Freed because that's how all of us- stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, us, the cinema-going audience - will feel now that this movie is finally in cinemas.

But, gag or no gag (in keeping with this kinky franchise's running theme), there's something in series' finale Fifty Shades Freed that we've never seen before in the movies. There's a delicious self-awareness, a lightness of touch, a smirk on the lips, a willingness to laugh at itself and the absurdity of this whole ridiculous, overblown, glossy fantasy.

For the first time in this series' three-movie history, Fifty Shades Freed is actually kind of funny. And it's all the better for it.

Fifty Shades Freed official trailer 2:19

Find out what's in store in the final chapter of the epic Fifty Shades Of Grey.

Canonically, I wouldn't go so far as to call Fifty Shades a funny franchise. The first and second films had laughs, sure, but they were awkward titters and giggles, the kind of laughter that is irrevocably linked, hand-in-hand with sex. Because sex, in all its messy, raw, vulnerable glory, is funny. And when someone whips out a set of Ben Wa balls, what can you do but laugh?

But my point is that the series has never been full of jokes, and it was all the worse for it. The first movie, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and resolutely focussed on bringing some Artistic Importance to the franchise, took itself way too seriously to be anything other than two hours and nine minutes of heavy breathing and awkwardly intense stares.

The second movie made the creative decision to double down on the sex, which is great and all, but didn't leave much room for laughter.

Photo: Universal

Photo: UniversalSource:Whimn

The third movie? Well it's actually funny, really funny - surprisingly so. There's no reason why it shouldn't be. Stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan are winning, charming charisma magnets who seem more comfortable laughing at themselves than they ever did handcuffing each other to bed posts and cracking out the nine-o-tails whips.

It helps that the Fifty Shades Freed script is full of clever jokes, mostly at the expense of Ana's hunky but absolutely witless bodyguard Sawyer. "Can you find somewhere for him?" Ana says to her assistant, who replies "I think I might have an opening." (Har har har.)

Or, later, when Sawyer and his colleague Prescott - bodyguard names direct from Central Casting - apprehend someone in Ana and Christian's apartment, the pair fret over the fact they don't have any handcuffs to restrain him with. "We do," Ana says, blushing. (And the audience roars with laughter.)

Happy honeymoon, you crazy kids. Photo: Universal

Happy honeymoon, you crazy kids. Photo: UniversalSource:Whimn

Fifty Shades Freed is the last film in the trilogy, and you can tell. Not just because everything is wrapped up very neatly at the end in a - red satin, shibari knotted - bow, but because of how relaxed both Dornan and Johnson look onscreen and with each other.

The pair have famously distanced themselves from the franchise and each other, so much so that Jezebel was prompted to declare: "Double Crap: Fifty Shades Of Grey Stars Can't Fucking Stand Each Other". This year, on a talk show, Dornan shut down any hopes fans might have had for more films in the series. "Dakota and I are...particularly me, I'm gettin' too old for this," he said.

Which might explain why, for the first time in Fifty Shades Freed, Dornan actually looks like he relaxed into the character of Christian and might even be having some fun making the movie as he fondly waves this chapter of his life goodbye. Finally - finally - we get to see Christian and Ana laugh at each other and poke fun at their characters. We see Dornan and Johnson not only dipping their toes into the river of ham, but bathing in it. They look like they actually enjoyed themselves on the set, and that sense of humour and play bubbles infectiously onto the screen.

Photo: Universal

Photo: UniversalSource:Whimn

Take the scene in the middle of the film, when Ana, her best friend Kate and Christian's sister Mia stumble upon Christian playing the piano in his Aspen residence, crooning along to the Beatles' Maybe I'm Amazed.

This is, quite simply, the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in a movie. Dornan's dulcet Northern Irish brogue has a hard enough time curling around an American accent, let along singing a Beatles tune. Johnson looks like she's valiantly biting back her smirk through the whole thing. And I loved it. I shrieked with laughter the whole time.

Dornan is so devoted to the music, his eyes closed, nodding along to the tune. (Yes, it's on the soundtrack in case you were curious.) It's such a gloriously hammy sight to behold, I half expected some white doves to emerge from a conveniently placed window. Dornan and Johnson might go through the motions in those sex scenes or clunky dialogue sequences but here the actor looks like he's really putting his back into it and giving the people what they want.

Finally - finally - Fifty Shades has gotten in on its own jokes. And not a moment too soon: It's always much more fun to laugh with something than at it.

Fifty Shades Freed is in cinemas now.

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