'The Fall Guy' film review: Gosling, Blunt shine in this explosion of stunts, laughs
Energized with some jaw-dropping action sequences and carried by a deft sense of sense of humor, 'The Fall Guy' (in theaters starting May 3) is a full-throated ode singing the praises of the passion, precision and legacy of behind-the-scenes stunt performers.
In short: Down-and-out stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) must find the missing star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) of blockbuster film directed by his ex-girlfriend Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu and Winston Duke also star.
'The Fall Guy' delivers exactly what it promises: jaw-dropping stunts, big laughs and lovely romance -- and it's all powered by a love of filmmaking and the unheralded stars of Hollywood stunts. This hilarious and thrilling summer blockbuster has a bit of everything to satisfy pretty much anyone looking for a fun at the cinema. A definitive "popcorn" flick - a fun treat (lean on nutritional value) best experienced in a theater.
Gosling and Blunt are well cast for the screwball action-comedy-romance. Their natural chemistry carries the emotional core of the flick's underlying romance. They click so effortlessly that it just makes sense that Colt and Jody would fall for each other - no need for some weird meet cute, which is great since 'Fall Guy' finds these two deep into a relationship that feels far beyond just a set fling. Each scene where Colt and Jody trade barbs radiates pure romantic spark - making these moments of Colt and Jody just talking (albeit using their own coded double entendres) some of the movie's most evocative scenes. Their natural chemistry sets the foundation for everything else, as it cements Colt's motivations as to why he would continue to endanger himself over and over, especially as the plot spins wildly out of his control.
The totality of 'The Fall Guy' seems to be a cinematic thesis arguing for the creation a Best Stunt Choreography Award at the Academy Awards. And yes, the increasingly bonkers stunts make this argument time and again. At certain points, it does feel like the narrative was reverse engineered from a stunt performers dream list of stunts. And in this movie's defense, at least these sequences are high-energy fun - but some viewers can understandably just see the over movie as an excuse to loosely string together action sequences.
The fact that 'The Fall Guy' is actually based in a TV show that probably only baby boomers remember is ... a bit odd honestly. It's a big screen adaptation that no one was creating a fan petition for, yet, this flick works because it's a delight of a flick that hums along, even with just a passing awareness that the movie is based on an early '80s TV show.
Although 'The Fall Guy' just clocks in at a little over 2 hours in runtime, the movie itself does feel a bit "long" - and just know that whenever any movie feels "long," that is merely code for any movie that meanders. The plot itself is fairly straightforward: Colt just has to find blockbuster superstar Tom Ryder (Taylor-Johnson) - but that fact that there's no solid "ticking clock" for Colt to work against leaves this plot feel very open ended. As if Colt has infinity time to track down Tom. With only a vague outline of a plot, the audience is left with a fairly nebulous plot driver for Colt - and without any sense of urgency or even a clear direction where the story is going, the movie overall "feels" long.
‘The Fall Guy’ isn’t trying to rewrite action or romantic flicks. It’s the kind of movie audiences can just enjoy and leave the theater with a smile. Stunt work is inherently a craft meant to pull the audience in - and make the audiences feel the on-screen stakes and danger. And director David Leitch, himself a former stuntman, delivers a film that is exactly as advertised: romance and laughs set against a cacophony of spills, explosions and fighting. And along the way, he makes the single most focused celebration of stunt performers who endanger themselves for the sake of storytelling.
Score: 4/5
Final verdict: A crowd-pleasing valentine to Hollywood stunt performers, 'The Fall Guy' is anchored in a strong comedic performance and great action sequences.
'The Fall Guy' is in theaters nationwide starting May 3. This action comedy has a runtime of 126 minutes and is rated PG-13 for action and violence, drug content and some strong language.
