David Leitch, former stunt performer turned director, mixes a charming love story while giving a deserving spotlight to stunt performers in The Fall Guy.
Sparks fly when stunt performer Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) meets camera operator Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) on set. After suffering a brutal injury while filming, Colt disappears from the film industry and breaks up with Jody. Colt still harbors a major crush on Jody. When producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) offers Colt a chance to save Jody’s first film as a director, Colt accepts. Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), an MIA leading man, complicates his return as a stunt performer. Gail tasks Colt with finding Ryder before Jody’s film goes belly up.
The almost irresistibly charismatic pairing of Blunt and Gosling as exes is fantastic. Gosling follows up his terrific comedic performance as Ken in Barbie with a sincere take on a man who isn’t over his ex. Gosling exudes sincerity as Seaver, which helps you root for him to rekindle his relationship with Jody. Gosling’s earnest portrayal allows Blunt to shine comedically.
The Fall Guy‘s tone is surprising. Leitch’s film nails the romantic longing between Colt and Jody and fun action sequences. Those expecting a laugh-fest may be surprised at the film’s earnest take on a down-and-out stunt performer. There are comedic moments, but they’re doled out sparingly and mostly involve Colt’s hunt for Ryder, which works for The Fall Guy.
There are a couple of issues in The Fall Guy. Gale’s agenda is heavy-handed when subtlety could have made the shocking twist more effective. Also, Colt spends most of the film hiding Ryder’s disappearance from Jody. In this case, honesty could have helped put the puzzle pieces together.
Overall, The Fall Guy is a fun summer blockbuster with a big heart, great lead performances and a stellar ode to the stunt community.
The Fall Guy Review Score
8.5 out of 10
Great
With the overview complete, let’s examine the romance, action and search for the leading man in The Fall Guy.
The Fall Guy takes a spill
The Fall Guy begins with Colt and Jody flirting on a movie set while Colt gets ready to redo a stunt for Ryder. The stunt goes awry, and Colt suffers a serious back injury.
Fast-forward 18 months, and Colt is out of the movie industry. During that time, Colt also broke up with Jody. It’s clear early on that the breakup has more to do with Colt feeling inadequate than with him being a flake. The former hotshot stunt performer is stuck being a valet. When Gale calls for Colt to return as a stunt performer, he’s hesitant. However, he accepts once Gale insists that Jody asked specifically for Colt.
While not overly dour, these early moments of The Fall Guy do an excellent job setting up Colt’s character arc. Colt is not a bad guy or dumb; he’s simply a man who suffered serious spiritual and bodily injury, which caused him to feel slightly less than invincible.
Saving Metalstorm
Metalstorm is Jody’s first attempt at directing. It’s a science-fiction epic centered around a forbidden romance. Despite endless questions, Jody is in total command of the set until Colt appears after a gnarly action sequence.
Turns out she didn’t ask for Colt. However, as stunt coordinator Dan Tucker (Winston Duke) tells her, there’s nobody else to replace Colt with. After Jody puts Colt through a justifiable wringer over the pain he caused her, he finds out why Gayle brought Colt onto the film. Ryder is missing, and she needs Colt to locate him, or Jody’s directing career could be short-lived.
Colt uses a tip from Gayle and begins connecting the dots with Tucker’s help. He also tries to repair his relationship with Jody while saving her film and keeping her in the dark. Surprisingly, Gosling and Blunt don’t share many one-on-one scenes together, but they make each moment count leading up to the 3rd act. I wish the film had let Jody in on what was happening with her Ryder as she and Colt could have devised a solution together.
Ryding Shotgun
Taylor-Johnson follows up his stellar work in Leitch’s Bullet Train with this wild take as narcissistic action star Tom Ryder.
Ryder is a major action star. He claims to do his own stunts when, in fact, Colt has served as his stunt performer in all of his films. On set, Ryder refuses to do stunts of any kind.
An early exchange between Ryder and Colt showcases their dynamic. Ryder, who fears sharing the spotlights, thinks too much of Colt’s face appears during the stunt. He demands a redo of the stunt. Colt, without a hint of ego whatsoever, agrees to do it with less face.
The chemistry between Taylor-Johnson and Gosling is great. Colt’s humility contrasts nicely with Ryder’s narcissism. However, Ryder doesn’t have much to do for most of the film. Obviously, in the present day, Ryder’s involvement would hurt the mystery element. However, I would trade the mystery element of where Ryder is for simply following Colt as he tries to save Jody’s movie despite Ryder’s actions.
The Fall Guy Final Thoughts
The Fall Guys is a fun, action film with a sweet romance as its driving force. Gosling and Blunt are stellar, aided by excellent supporting performances by Duke and Taylor-Johson.
Removing Jody from the search for Ryder takes Blunt out of the film for too long. I would have preferred including Jody in the search instead of Colt lying to her about what’s happening in her movie. Gayle’s actions spell out the 3rd act twist.
Despite those qualms, it’s hard to resist the charms of Gosling and Blunt. Add in some fun action scenes, and The Fall Guy is a strong start to the early summer movie season.
The Review
The Fall Guy
PROS
- Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt have tremendous chemistry.
- The dichotomy between a lead actor and stunt performer is well done.
- Great action sequences.
- More serious tone than I was expecting.
CONS
- Gayle's actions as a producer and protector of Tom Ryder spells out the 3rd act twist.
- Removing Blunt's character from the hunt for Ryder.
