"THE FALL GUY" - REVIEW
It may be strange to review a film that was released in theaters a month ago (and is now on VOD, but pleeeeeeease see it in theaters), but with the current consequences of Hollywood’s rash decisions of 2023, making this a strange summer moviegoing season of 2024, thankfully it is still playing, and I just got around to it.
I’m glad I did.
THE FALL GUY doesn’t feature stunts: it IS stunts. This movie loves stunts and the thrill-seeking artists who perform them down to its very bones, its soul, and its big, sentimental heart, with just enough story, engaging performances and some big laughs to help bridge the gaps between car chases and impossible falls and jumps.
Playing a stuntman for the second time (previously in 2011’s broody and bloody DRIVE), Ryan Gosling has a little more Kenergy to spare as movie stuntman Colt Seavers, who, after a long recovery from a stunt that all but ended his career, is given another shot by a flaky producer (Hannah Waddingham from TED LASSO) for a sci-fi action film in Australia.
The catch? The insufferable movie star he doubles for (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has gone AWOL, so Colt’s been hired to perform as many of his scenes as possible so the studio doesn’t shut the movie down.
The other catch? He’s been tasked with trying to locate the missing actor, whose recent shady dealings have caught the attention of some real-life bruisers (i.e. not exactly trained in stage combat).
The other, other catch? The movie-within-the-movie is being directed by Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt, channeling her inner Christopher Nolan), a camera operator getting her big shot directing a big movie… and a former crush. After a flirty on-set relationship on their last job together, Colt ghosted Jody in the aftermath of his injury. Naturally, this feels like redemption, and with so much at stake, the show must go on… but for how long?
This movie has unfairly been deemed a “flop,” which isn’t fair, because it’s a blast. What makes THE FALL GUY so fun to watch is how breezy and effortless it all looks, and that effortlessness extends to the easy chemistry between the two leads. Screenwriter Drew Pearce keeps the dialogue light and banter-y, and director David Leitch, who previously gave us ATOMIC BLONDE, DEADPOOL 2, HOBBS & SHAW and BULLET TRAIN (not to mention co-directing the first JOHN WICK), is firing on all cylinders here. While it feels like a big-dumb-fun studio throwback to the big-dumb-fun summer blockbusters of the 80s and 90s, it also feels like a personal work. Leitch is a career stuntman, and he knows this world like the back of his hand. He keep things moving, and the movie is bright and poppy and makes full use of its Australian desert locales (interestingly, between this, DUNE PART TWO and FURIOSA, 2024 is turning out to be a real sandy year at the movies). Even though the movie feels maybe 15 minutes too long, you won’t care by the time you get to the wild, rowdy finale.
If you love movies, and you love movies about making movies, and especially if you’ve ever been involved in making a movie yourself, you’ll probably love it. It’s not deep, but it is very fun, and has a little something for everyone.
#thefallguy
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#davidleitch
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Zach is a proud member of the Minnesota Film Critics Alliance (MNFCA). For more info about Zach, the organization, or to read other great reviews from other great Minnesota-based film critics, click here: https://mnfilmcriticalliance.wordpress.com/