It’s been a fairly dry time for original movies lately, between such tired entries as Ghostbusters 5 or 6: We Really Don’t Even Know at This Point and Godzilla x King Kong: More Big Dumb Monsters. And while The Fall Guy may claim to be a reboot of the 1981 television series, it may as well be considered an original story as the only thing it has in common with the TV show are the names of the two main characters. Instead, The Fall Guy is a love letter to stuntmen from a director with a long background in stunt work, and it works surprisingly well.
Ryan Gosling plays Colt Seavers, stuntman for giant (and idiotic) action star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Emily Blunt plays Colt’s former crush Jody Moreno, who is now directing her first movie. Winston Duke as Colt’s best friend and stunt coordinator, Dan Tucker, proves that his charisma and comedic timing weren’t a fluke in the Black Panther series, and he lowkey steals some scenes. Speaking of scenes, the moments we do see from Jody’s directorial debut film are appropriately ridiculous, organically drawing laughs at how close it is to a stupid blockbuster that could actually be released. Imagine if Zach Snyder directed a Dune knockoff starring Nicholas Cage, and you’re getting close to the feel of the overblown sequences.
Outside of the romantic plot, the story itself sometimes feels like an excuse to drive us into the next stunt sequence, but that wasn’t a big issue for me because the action scenes are so darn entertaining. There are a lot of stunts in this movie, and they all look fantastic, with one setting a record number of car rolls. The Fall Guy also features plenty of self-referential jokes about the movie-making process that echo Deadpool’s signature breaking of the fourth wall. This is no coincidence, as Fall Guy’s David Leitch also directed Deadpool 2.
Unlike other recent action-comedy Argyle (read my hateful review here), The Fall Guy features two stars with actual onscreen chemistry as well as better comic delivery. Ryan Gosling’s humor chops makes up for any storytelling shortcomings, as he moves through preposterous scenarios with an earnest silliness, and Emily Blunt is the perfect costar for these scenes. Blunt plays more of the straight man to Gosling’s goofiness, but she still gets plenty of hilarious moments, most notability as she’s getting revenge for his relationship shortcomings by abusing her power as director. While the pacing slows down about halfway through the film, some of the best jokes are still saved for the very end. It’s definitely a better payoff than watching Bryce Dallas Howard ice-skating on oil for 3 minutes.
The Fall Guy may be an unnecessary callback to an old television series, but it effectively combines flashy action scenes with laugh-out-loud moments. If you ever wondered what a PG-13 David Leitch action comedy would look like, The Fall Guy is your answer. The combined likability and comedic talent of Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt cover any pacing shortcomings, ensuring this stunt-filled spectacle lands safely on the crash pad.
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