The Fall Guy
3.5 out of 5 Stars
Director: David Leitch
Writers: Drew Pearce, Glen A. Larson
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Genre: Action, Comedy
Rated: PG-13 for action and violence, drug content and some strong language
Synopsis: He’s a stuntman, and like everyone in the stunt community, he gets blown up, shot, crashed, thrown through windows and dropped from the highest of heights, all for our entertainment. And now, fresh off an almost career-ending accident, this working-class hero has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job. What could possibly go right?
Review: Yesterday, I heard a colleague expressing her disappointment in “The Fall Guy” because it was supposed to be a romantic comedy. Expectations can be the undoing of even the best films. Yes, there is romance and comedy throughout the film, but it is fundamentally an action film that celebrates the work of stunt doubles. I’m not going to say that the story doesn’t matter. It just doesn’t matter as much as it might in a film like “Mad Max: Fury Road” where the story is paramount and the stunt work (which is some of the best you’ll ever see) is part of the world-building atmosphere that surrounds the narrative.
Ryan Gosling stars as stuntman Colt Seavers. Colt has ideas of hooking up with Emily Blunt’s camera operator Jody Moreno. When a stunt goes wrong, Colt is faced with an extended recovery time. Jody tries to be supportive. Colt just pushes her away. It is a decision he learns to regret. So, when a chance at redemption presents itself in the shape of Colt returning to stunt work on Jody’s directorial debut, he talks himself into taking another chance on love.
What follows is an outrageous amount of stunts, a lampooning of Hollywood culture and its action stars who constantly claim that they do their own stunts when they clearly do not, and a little romance on the end of a string to keep Colt chasing the carrot.
It’s almost all spectacle. Unapologetically so. Director David Leitch, who used to be a stuntman, has made what is essentially a love letter to his old profession. There’s something gleeful in all the chaos.
I love the cast. Ryan Gosling’s career trajectory has been a strange, rewarding journey. It’s hard not to be charmed by Emily Blunt. Even when I hate Aaron Taylor-Johnson, I love him. If they want him to be the next Bond, I’d be completely invested and excited to see what he could bring to the character. Great to see Teresa Palmer chew up some scenery.
Is “The Fall Guy” a great time out at the theater? Yes, it absolutely is. Sometimes making a big-dumb movie is actually a smart decision.
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