PG-13 2024 Action/Comedy 2h 5m
On the surface, The Fall Guy seems like it would be a nostalgia play for people who watched and loved the Lee Majors series in the ‘80s. It serves that purpose for sure but very loosely; one need not be familiar with that series or even like that series to find the movie a lot of fun.
Ryan Gosling plays the titular hero, Colt Seavers, a stuntman with a crush on Jodie (Emily Blunt), the director of the movie he is working on. The star of the film and the man he stunt-doubles, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, rumored to be the next James Bond) has gone missing. Gosling taps into the same beat-up-upon hero he played well in The Nice Guys. He and Blunt have an enjoyable chemistry together. Also, look for Jean Claude to steal the scenes he is in.
The Fall Guy is directed by David Leitch, a former stunt performer himself, with a solid pedigree as an action director: John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and Bullet Train. The Fall Guy is a love letter to the stunt world with many impressive stunt scenes throughout. In a stunt scene filmed for the in-universe movie, it’s briefly mentioned that a record was set; a real, world record was set in that scene for a car flipping 8 and a half times.
The soundtrack is notable. There is a lot of amped-up music to support the action on the screen. I’ll note that KISS’ “I Was Made for Loving You” plays maybe a half dozen times throughout; it’s an earworm that will get stuck in your head. There is a nicely-used Taylor Swift song used as well. And Blake Shelton gets a take on the theme from the series.
With the arrival of The Fall Guy, the summer popcorn movie has arrived. So kick off summer with a little fun with Ryan and Emily. And stay for the mid-credit scene.
Comments