Welcome back to movie magic.
It’s been an up-and-down year so far at the box office for any number of reasons. (Most likely, last year’s strike held back production of upcoming blockbusters, leading to a ‘sparse’ spring for new releases.) But The Fall Guy proves that things are finally ready to roll.
In The Fall Guy, Ryan Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, the stuntman to Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), one of Hollywood’s biggest action heroes. Colt gets blown up, shot and thrown through windows on a daily basis—and he loves doing it. But, after an accident threatens his career, Seavers finds himself on the outside of the movie biz… until Ryder disappears. Suddenly, Seavers finds himself forced to solve a conspiracy and win back the love of his life, all while keeping his day job.
Directed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2, Bullet Train), The Fall Guy is the sort of old-school, blockbuster rom-com that used to permeate the box office in the 80s and 90s. It’s big, brash and, most of all, very, very funny. Although the film is based on the 80s tv series of the same name, it’s Pearce’s screenplay that feels most obsessed with action films. To put it simply, this absolutely reminds the viewer of the sorts of films that made us love going to the theatre. In an effort to celebrate the ‘movies that made us’, Pearce infuses his screenplay with every conceivable allusion, both obvious and subtle. References to The Six-Million Dollar Man, Dune, Die Hard, The A-Team and countless others bleed through the film as an homage to everything that has come before. (In fact, the most defining characteristic of Winston Duke’s character is that he quotes his favourite ‘guy movies’.) There is so much love for classic action heroes in this film that one can’t help but wonder how long people will be picking it apart looking for Easter Eggs
What’s more, the film itself is acutely aware of its affection for pop culture as well. For example, Pearce’s script takes a meta-approach to the material as characters debate the merits of the ‘third act’ and whether or not using a split screen is a waste of their time. In each of these moments, Fall Guy winks at the audience as if to acknowledge the goofiness of these sorts of films while heaping praise upon them as well.
This, of course, is the perfect style of humour for Gosling as well. Aside from his work in Barbie, Gosling’s work in The Nice Guys and Saturday Night Live have shown that his often-underrated comedic talents. Unlike other A-list comedians, Gosling is at his best when he’s mocking his own serious persona and Fall Guy certainly allows him the opportunity to do that.
As Colt, Gosling is simply an ‘every man’. Yes, he may be an action hero but nobody knows his name. (Well, not the general public, any ways.) He’s a man who simply wants to drink some spicy margheritas on the beach with his lady love and ‘make some bad decisions’. He attracts no attention and signs no autographs. Instead, he’s just a guy who’s doing a job, content to let film stars shine more brightly than he does.
In this way, Fall Guy also becomes a celebration of ordinary people. Although their jobs may be to make movie magic, they are not the ones to make headlines. They work hard, live without glory and are essential to the process of filmmaking… but they remain largely unknown. Fall Guy honours their work, elevating them to almost heroic status as they fight to take down the ‘bad guys’ together.
With fun and fury, The Fall Guy never stumbles. Leaning into the silliness, Gosling and Blunt have truly offered us the type of experience that, while drenched in nostalgia, never feels tired. But, most of all, this is a celebration of the type of infectious filmmaking that keeps us in the seats and the people who help make that magic happen.
The Fall Guy is available in theatres on Friday, May 3rd, 2024.
