Review: The Fall Guy

Directed by: David Leitch

Written by: Drew Pearce

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer

Rating: [4/5]

Every film set has the unsung heroes who put in excellent work and never quite get the recognition they deserve. That praise usually gets attributed to the faces of the production, like the actors and directors. The Fall Guy knows this very well in its narrative about the stunt people who make action stars look as heroic as they do. With its charming leads and ridiculous plot, this feature knows how to present an entertaining story and does just that. 

After suffering a terrible accident trying to pull off a stunt, Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) has disappeared from Hollywood amidst a flourishing relationship with camerawoman Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). Approached some time later to work on Jody’s first film, Colt makes his way to Australia where he learns the lead of the film, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has gone missing. 

Ryan Gosling finding his stride and going all in on his distinct combination of charm and comedy has truly been a Godsend because when this man fires on all cylinders he can elevate any project he joins. The man has always had the sauce, but when he gets the opportunity to truly flex it, he puts on a show, with The Fall Guy being one of them. Thinking of any other actor who could step in and portray Colt Seavers as well as Gosling did feels like a fool’s errand, as no one could come close. He mightily helps elevate the material and delivering his lines in ways only he can, which really encapsulates what makes this film such a joy to watch. 

At its heart, The Fall Guys seeks to highlight the work of stunt people in the industry, which makes plenty of sense considering David Leitch directed this film. The man who co-directed John Wick and various other action films has worked with many stunt people and has greatly benefitted from the work they do. The action genre would simply not exist without their contributions and this feature serves as a tribute to them. This earnestness and joviality seeps its way into every element of this film as it lacks a sense of seriousness but not in a way that takes away from the stakes of the story. Instead, it utilizes its silliness to make the characters involved all the more endearing, especially when we get to the relationship between Colt and Jody. 

Colt’s disappearance after injuring his back broke Jody’s heart, which made his reappearance such a surprise and one that brings back old wounds that never got to heal. Even then, this feature does not spend too much time holding back the chemistry Gosling and Blunt have as the central pair of this story. The back-and-forth these two share and the effortless charm they weaponize on the audience makes every moment they share such a joy to watch. From the scene where Jody makes Colt read the lines of her film that closely relate to their personal relationship or literally any other scene they share in the film, it all worked stupendously well. It allows us to ignore everything else and wish we can get them back in the same space and await the potential reunification and reignition of their love story. 

As one can imagine, The Fall Guy operates as both an action film highlighting the greatness of stunt people but also a fantastic comedy. We have those scenes where Colt takes on these foes trying to stop him from finding Tom Ryder but also everything on set displaying that this movie everyone’s working so hard to create sounds and looks terrible. A story about a space cowboy falling in love with an alien and finding himself in the middle of an intergalactic war. Truly a ridiculous story and the filming of it looks just as silly but that very much matches the overall tone of the film. Seriously, seeing some of the line delivery Tom Ryder had to deliver as this hero character makes you question how in the world this film got the green light especially for the insane budget it most likely demanded. 

Truly a bundle of fun that allows Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt to charm our pants off, The Fall Guys evokes movie star aura from its two leads and also honors the work by the stunt people in this whole industry as well as those involved in this film. It demonstrates the hard work put in by these individuals and all of the coordination that takes place just to get one good shot. A love letter to cinema and all who make it all happen but do not receive a mention on the movie poster up at the Cineplex. Such a joyous occasion with all the actors, even the supporting ones like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu, and Winston Duke also having a blast with their ridiculous characters.