A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Fall Guy” (2024).
The casting dream of Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in a stunt-filled action/comedy based on the 80’s TV series “The Fall Guy”? I was “in” from the get-go.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is stunt double to the mega star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and boyfriend to cinematographer Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). But following an accident, Tom is taken out of the scene. Despite his self-doubt, he needs a way back in and Jody’s directorial feature, filming in Sydney, could be it.
Certification:
UK: 12; US: PG-13. (From the BBFC web site: “Moderate violence, infrequent strong language, drug references”.)
Talent:
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Teresa Palmer, Ben Knight.
Directed by: David Leitch.
Written by: Drew Pearce (Based on the TV Show created by Glen A. Larson.)
Twitter Handle: #TheFallGuy.
Running Time: 2h 6m.
Box Office pulling power – Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. (Source: Universal Pictures International).
“The Fall Guy” Positives and Negatives:
Positives:
- Fun, frivolous and hugely entertaining popcorn movie.
- Great stunt work.
- An A-list dream-team pairing of Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt.
- Three neat cameos.
Negatives:
- The occasional naff lines of dialogue.
What does the producer do anyway? Hannah Waddingham as producer Gail Mayer with director Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt).. (Source: Universal Pictures International).
“The Fall Guy” – Full Review:
Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be
Despite being an enormous fan of Lee Majors in “The Six Million Dollar Man”, I don’t remember ever getting into “The Fall Guy” TV show which ran from 1981 to 1986… but I was busy with PhD’s, marriage and creating a human during those years, so that’s no surprise! But I was a great fan of an earlier film about stuntmen – “Hooper” with Burt Reynolds in 1978 – and generally always loved stunt-based films, such as “Bullitt”, “The Italian Job” and “The Cannonball Run”. So this film was leaning on an open door for me.
For those who don’t remember the 80’s… the original “Fall Guy” team of (from L) Douglas Barr, Lee Majors and Heather Thomas. (Source: Universal Pictures International).
Star Power and Great Production Design
This movie has the strong advantage of having the star-pairing of Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, and they spark off each other incredibly well. In a supporting role is the ‘potential new Bond’ (subject to contract!) of Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the obnoxious mega-star with attitude. Three neat cameos in the finale were also great fun.
I had enormous fun with the sheer volume of film references, from a “Dialogue Smialogue” game (guess the film from the line of dialogue, familiar to my “Flickering Dreams” colleagues!) to some clever little asides, some of which only movie nerds will catch. (An apocryphal one is Tom Ryder being referred to as some sort of uber-Bond villain!) I loved the production design. Some of Ryder’s movie posters – a few only caught subliminally – are very funny. “Bad Cop, Good Dog” is a film I’d watch!
A Stunt Spectacular
As with earlier films about stunt teams, the film is obviously chock-full of amazing stunts from car rolls to boat chases to long falls to an exciting in-skip fight through the streets of Sydney! Blunt and Gosling had a segment in March’s Oscar ceremony to praise the work of stunt teams in the movies and Gosling joked at the movie’s LA premier that “This movie is just a giant campaign to get stunts an Oscar”. This is a campaign that I have previously championed on One Mann’s Movies and I would love to see the Academy respond positively within a year or two: it would not only recognise an under-appreciated sector, but also add fun and excitement to the ceremony itself.
Deliberately Overlooking some Flaws!
For such a popcorn movie, you go in knowing you are going to have to suspend belief at various points and you definitely have to with this one. My biggest criticism comes from the dialogue which is of variable quality. For every funny line (Colt instructing the dog to “engage your core”; Jody saying she used to watch “Love Actually” every Christmas, but is less of a fan these days!”) there is a real clunker (Colt confusing “Notting Hill” and “Pretty Woman”, which is excrutiating). But on the whole, the good lines outnumber the bad.
While there are some slow moments in the first reel that feel like they could use a little tightening, the final reel is an utter blast of entertainment that had myself and the illustrious Mrs Movie Man fully engaged – laughing, cheering them on and grinning from ear to ear. There are few movies that succeed in doing that.
A fun picture with (from Left) Ryan Gosling, Aaron Taylor-Johsnon and three of their anonymous stunt doubles who do the hard work!. (Source: Vulture.com).
Summary Thoughts on “The Fall Guy”
A real crowd-pleaser of a movie that will appeal to adults and mature older children (I would suggest 10 and up). The film is engaging, exciting and will leave a smile on your face. Is it really a “5-star” film? Probably not, but sometimes you just have to go with how much fun you have in the cinema, and this one hit the mark big-time!
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “The Fall Guy”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7jPnwVGdZ8. A criticism of the trailer is that it features too many of the “money-shot” stunts and comic moments. This should have just been a teaser trailer showing Blunt and Gosling and perhaps the skip chase bit through Sydney. Less is more!
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