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A useless gun, a foreign dog, and one unknown stuntman are what you’ll find in The Fall Guy, the newest blockbuster directed by David Leitch (Bullet Train). It stars Ryan Gosling (Barbie) as Colt Seavers, a perfectly content stuntman who leaves that life behind him after a work-related injury. When he’s convinced to go to Australia and work on a new film to help his ex-girlfriend’s directorial debut, he’s pulled into some dangerous situations while looking for the missing lead actor, Tom Ryder, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass).
First-time director Jody Moreno is played by Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer), while Colt’s stunt coordinator, Dan, is played by Winston Duke (Black Panther). Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) plays Tom’s producer and MetalStorm’s (the movie being made in the film) executive producer. It also stars Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies) and Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once). The Fall Guy is an action comedy that commits strongly to both genres for its own good, and at the same time, it’s a love letter to the stunt industry. It also happens to feature a buff Ryan Gosling.
The Fall Guy: Stunts and All
The movie starts quite slow with some exposition from Colt explaining what a stuntman is. After he’s injured and gets called by Gail (Waddingham) to get to Sydney, it picks up pace and continues to do so throughout the movie. However, the pacing is somewhat odd as many scenes feel like they go on for a bit too long. Sometimes it’s a joke that goes a little too far, or characters squabbling for a little too much, but there are enough of them to notice. The Fall Guy isn’t too bloated for 126 minutes, but there’s more than enough room for some edits.
Gosling is great, giving a performance that is similar to his performance from The Nice Guys. It’s not an unfamiliar role, but it is a fun one. His physicality adds something to both his comedic chops and his character. Not only does he look great, but he pulls the stunts off, and really does sell his whole stunt guy shtick. Blunt is good and she shines in scenes where she banters with Gosling, as well as whenever she is directing. Jody is passionate about making MetalStorm the best movie it can be, and Blunt nails that passion.
Winston Duke isn’t given much to do but is fun in the action scenes he’s in, and Dan’s camaraderie with Colt is believable because both actors nail their back-and-forth. Aaron Taylor-Johnson gives a fine performance as the annoying A-list movie star, Tom Ryder. However, once he gets into his MetalStorm role he goes into a great impression of a (real world) famous actor, and it’s easily one of the funniest jokes in the film. Waddingham gives an over-the-top performance that fits her character well. There isn’t a single poor performance in the picture.
Fall Over Laughter
While our main character is treated with some reverence, and Colt and Jodi’s relationship is a motivating factor, The Fall Guy never takes itself too seriously. It’s a funny movie, with the jokes and the action coming together for what ends up being an extremely fun time. There are straightforward jokes that land, but there’s also a great combination of running gags and meta jokes that work terrifically. Usually a combination of dialogue and a visual gag, those jokes elevate the film into a fun love letter to filmmaking. There are even a few movie quotes thrown around.
The dialogue is sharp, with some of the lines really delivering the humor. Even though the story itself is fairly simple, there are some things that you might not expect. There are a couple of story beats that feel a little repetitive, but it doesn’t feel like we are moving from fight scene to fight scene. By the film’s end, you’re compelled to root for Colt, not only because you’ve been on this ride with him, but because he’s been charismatic the entire time.
The action scenes are phenomenal as you would expect. One feels like it popped out of the page of a comic book, with a neon Ryan Gosling beating up henchmen in a fluorescent frenzy. The set pieces have weight behind them and feel special. When Colt swings from a helicopter or jumps onto the back of a truck, it’s played like that is what he was put on this Earth to do. Plus, it’s in the middle of Sydney, which is a nice change of pace and a great meta setting for the film. Although, that might just be my Sydney bias showing.
You Get Back Up Again
While most of the movie didn’t warrant any complaining, there were some audio issues with the sound mix because characters were speaking through megaphones or walkie-talkies and it was extremely difficult to work out what they were saying. It’s a minor gripe, but an issue for some of the time. The sound is otherwise well done, with every glass shatter sounding authentic. The soundtrack is great too, with KISS’ “I Was Made For Loving You” repeating multiple times, and Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” as the centerpiece of a pretty funny scene. Dominic Lewis’s (Bullet Train) score is good as well, nailing the sense of action.
If you love movies, this is easily going to be a fun time at the theater for you. It’s clear just how much The Fall Guy is celebrating film – and how hard it can be to make – while being funny and action-packed at the same time. Even the film they’re making is an amalgamation of Predator, Dune, and Mad Max. It borders on parody at times – almost like an Entourage mirror world – but it stays with Colt and stays character-driven, which is why it works.
If you want to see Barbie’s Ryan Gosling in another vehicle, and if you like action comedies, you’ll definitely want to go to the loudest and largest theater you can find for this one. Buy some popcorn and have a great time. You can catch The Fall Guy when it comes to theaters on May 3, 2024.
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is funny, elevated by its celebration of film and the charisma of Ryan Gosling, resulting in an extremely fun time.
Pros
- Great dialogue and good performances from Gosling and Blunt.
- Great action scenes with interesting set pieces that stand out.
- The soundtrack nails the tone of the film and keeps you moving with it.
Cons
- A simple story that takes a while to get interesting.
- Some audio issues in the first couple of scenes.
- Several scenes feel too long, and could've used a trim.
