Films for Breakfast

For my money, one of the easiest ways to make a film instantly likeable is to have the film either be about filmmaking or have incredible reverence for the art of it. In the case of The Fall Guy, the film presents stunt doubles as the backbone of any major film production and often operates as both an ode to the stunt community and the brave people who put their lives on the line for our entertainment, but also a love letter to the communal filmmaking experience. The film follows stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) after recovering from a nearly career-ending accident on set, as he doubles for Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor Johnson) the biggest star in Hollywood at the moment – as well as being directed by his ex Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) fresh off the heels of a complicated fling.

As Colt tries to make himself useful on the set of this massive sci-fi epic, he gets roped into trying to find out why star Tom Ryder has gone missing while keeping it a secret from both the media and the studio. This incredibly Hollywood-centric plot line paves way for the film to truly have fun with its own premise and location, as a large portion of the film takes place either in or around a film-set. Director David Leitch is a former stuntman-turned-film director, so the film has a very authentic quality to it where it feels like it is being made by people who have a genuine reverence and love for the art and craft of filmmaking, as well as a legitimate understanding of how a film set feels and operates. This sense of authenticity goes a long way when the film swings and tries to showcase the incredible bravery and talent it takes to do what stunt performers do.

There has been a lot of discussion over the years about whether or not the idea of the traditional “movie star” has now faded in an age of IP-mining; is the actor as important as the role they’re playing anymore? Ryan Gosling’s performance in The Fall Guy makes a compelling case in favor for movie stars still existing – Gosling’s performance here is nothing short of dynamite from the moment he appears on-screen. His ability to completely sell the action set pieces as a leading man are truly impressive, as he is instantly someone you want to root for. On top of that, his comedic timing is still as perfect as ever and the film luckily plays into his sensibilities in an incredibly amusing fashion. He’s charming, hilarious, and the best kind of action hero – someone you believe can hold their own in a fight but feels the right amount of vulnerable so there are stakes.

On top of the great performance from Ryan Gosling and some great action set-pieces (namely a car/truck chase sequence turned fight sequence at the halfway point and a bombastic third act set piece that truly delivers) – one of the biggest shining spots here is Emily Blunt’s performance, as well as her chemistry with Ryan Gosling. From the moment the two share the screen with one another, you instantly buy into their infectious chemistry with one another. So many of my favorite moments in the film come from simply moments of dialogue and romance between the two of them; even above the moments of giant spectacle. Their dynamic is easily the heart of the film and why it works as well as it does.

The only real gripe to pick with The Fall Guy is that it’s almost too much of a good thing – an issue I have with a lot of David Leitch movies, even though I enjoy all of them to varying degrees. While I enjoy mostly all of the components at play here, the film still largely feels like it could’ve benefitted from a tighter edit that made it feel leaner and more focused. By the halfway point, it feels like its juggling way too many plot threads and characters than it needs to, as the third act completely strips the film down to only its central characters and is all the better and more entertaining for it. Not a complete knock against the film, but if it was a little more focused and tightly edited, it would be an even more glowing review from me.

Despite potentially benefitting from a tighter edit and having some pacing issues here and there, The Fall Guy stands tall as an incredibly entertaining, old-school blockbuster designed purely for the Summer movie season. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt shine through every sequence they share together, and by the end, the film is so charming as both a romance and love letter to the stunt community/filmmaking as a whole that you can’t help but be charmed by it. We could use more blockbusters that are as earnest and romantic as this.

3.5/5