“The Fall Guy” - Film Review
It’s been a rough few years for summer blockbusters. Ever since the pandemic, or maybe since Avengers: Endgame, there’s been an empty spot the big summer popcorn flicks of the past few years have been unable to fill. We don’t agree on much anymore as a human race, but there used to be something unifying about these movies. Unfortunately, the opening weekend box office numbers for The Fall Guy don’t instill a sense of confidence that we’ll return to the blockbusters of yesteryear, but that’s no fault of the film. Based on the 1980s TV series of the same name, The Fall Guy makes for a great, only slightly over-bloated, way to spend a summer afternoon.
The Fall Guy, like the original series, is centered on Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), an affable stuntman for some of the biggest names in Hollywood. He’s built his career falling out of buildings, flipping cars, and taking punches. Even though no one in the public knows his name, Colt is thrilled with the way his life is going. He’s the go-to stuntman for action star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and about to go on vacation with his camera-operator girlfriend, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) when a stunt gone wrong severely injures him. Eighteen months later, Colt is called back to the set where Jody is directing her first feature film. The only problem is that the film’s lead actor, Tom Ryder, is missing, so it’s up to Colt to track him down, save the production, and get the girl.
courtesy of Universal Pictures
Colt is the kind of role that Gosling has been naturally working toward for much of his career. He oozes charisma and humor while also being vulnerable. As much as The Fall Guy is an ode to the underappreciated stunt people who are the backbone of Hollywood, it’s a love story about two people who are terrible at communicating with each other. When the script becomes lost in a mystery that is ultimately the film’s weakest attribute, it’s the chemistry between Gosling and Blunt that reels the audience back in. They’re coworkers-turned-lovers-turned-exes who remain ever-so-hopeful that things could be different. The TV series’ theme goes “I might fall from a tall building / I might roll a brand new car / 'Cause I'm the unknown stuntman / Who'd die to havе your heart.” It’s that sort of bumbling, awkward, heart-on-the-sleeve character that Gosling plays so well you can’t help but root for him.
The Fall Guy is directed by David Leitch, who in many ways is the real-life Colt Seavers. Leitch started his career as a stuntman for the likes of Brad Pitt and Jean-Claude Van Damme before pivoting to directing action-heavy flicks like John Wick, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde, and last summer’s Bullet Train. All of these films provide thrilling setpieces that push the limits of what stunt teams are capable of, and, in the case of The Fall Guy, set a Guinness World Record for most cannon rolls performed in a car. At times The Fall Guy felt like it was showing off, but in the best way possible. Despite the fact that they’re responsible for so many aspects of films that audiences love, stunt teams don't receive recognition on Hollywood’s biggest night. The Fall Guy is Leitch and his team at the top of their game, doing what they love most. There should be an Oscar category for stunts, and The Fall Guy deserves to sweep.
courtesy of Universal Pictures
The script is The Fall Guy’s downfall (pardon the pun). The film runs over two hours, despite not having enough plot development to justify the runtime. The mystery surrounding Tom Ryder’s disappearance is the least compelling aspect of the story, yet it takes up the majority of the script. Colt is sent on a few too many wild goose chases in order to prolong the story. There’s also an off-color and wildly unnecessary “joke” about the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial of 2022. It’s a throwaway comment that adds nothing and exists merely to punch down at a situation that’s far more nuanced than it’s made to seem.
The Fall Guy is not the answer to summer blockbusters that we’ve all been waiting for, but it could have been. A slight reworking of the script to slim it down to a cool 100 minutes would have made The Fall Guy a clear homerun. At the end of the day, though, it’s hard to complain about watching Ryan Gosling wear a cool jacket, kick some ass, and save the day.
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