After watching “The Fall Guy,” I found what most movies today seem to be lacking: fun.
“The Fall Guy” stars Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a stunt double for famous Hollywood actor Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). After a career-halting accident and an 18-month hiatus, Colt is called back by Tom’s film producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) to work on his ex-girlfriend Jody Moreno’s (Emily Blunt) directorial debut “Metalstorm,” but Gail has ulterior motives.
The movie is dedicated to the unsung heroes of action movies: stunt doubles.
In the film’s opening, Gosling and director David Letich remind the audience there’s much more to movies than the people we see on screen. Stunt actors risk their lives so viewers can immerse themselves in the beauty of action shots with minimal CGI.
“The Fall Guy” is a refreshing story, one of those films where you can go to the theaters and have a good time. It isn’t a revolutionary film or even a particularly complex and thought-provoking one. Instead, the movie invites audiences to enjoy 125 minutes of never-ending fun and entertainment to avoid the stress of their everyday lives through a unique story.
Spoilers ahead for “The Fall Guy”
The first half of the film is both funny and entertaining as Colt and Jody balance their past relationship while filming “Metalstorm.” In one scene, Jody forces Colt to act out a sequence where he’s set on fire over and over again while criticizing Colt for abandoning their relationship.
It is later revealed that Tom Ryder accidentally killed his previous stuntman, but both him and Gail were trying to frame Colt for doing so. With the help of Jody, Colt clears his name, wins back her love and proves his worth as an incredible stuntman in a thrilling final act.
The film explores what people will do for those they love. Colt flew to Australia to be the main stuntman in Jody’s directorial debut film, and Jody helped Colt with his dilemma, willing to give up the entire film just for Colt. Leitch interweaves different themes, maintaining the hearts of characters as they develop while still being able to let them shine when they need to.
As the protagonist, Gosling leads the movie with his charisma and charm sprinkled with moments of seriousness. Gosling is the perfect choice for this solemn, charming and hilarious role. His diverse film experience and ability to build on-screen connections with nearly anyone make him stand out in “The Fall Guy.”
This movie evokes smiles, laughter and awe with its various sequences while the creative narrative impressively shone through each scene. Colt and Jody had great romantic and comedic bits that were both funny and realistic, resulting in convincing chemistry between the two actors. Each moment felt more intimate than the one before.
The pacing of the film kept the story from feeling rushed despite the nonstop action. “The Fall Guy” did a great job at combining different themes and characters into a linear story. It showcased the perfect amounts of action and comedy and knew when to feature “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” by KISS.
Additionally, the movie developed its characters throughout the story in a way that felt very authentic. Leitch takes a simple story but incorporates these different elements to create a fun movie-watching experience, similar to his other film “Bullet Train.”
Blunt isn’t featured as much in the second half, which is slightly disappointing given how entertaining her performance was in the first half. When filming “Metalstorm” with Colt, Jody carefully crafts each particular scene.
Blunt portrays Jody as a passionate individual with a unique vision for her film and manages to show audiences the strong and creative person Jody is. This act seems more reserved in the second half, as the film shifts its focus primarily toward Gosling. Regardless, Blunt still has some great bits.
The supporting cast is also great, with some standout performances from Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke and Stephanie Hsu. These characters round out the hilariously fun and unique movie.
It’s safe to say “The Fall Guy” will establish itself as one of the more memorable movies of 2024.
Rating: 4/5 stars
“The Fall Guy” is now playing in theaters.
