The Fall Guy is a Big Thumbs Up (SPOILER-FREE)

Released on May 3rd this year, The Fall Guy was luckily still in theaters when I was able to go see it (with fellow Fandom Spotlite writer, Gabby). As this was my most anticipated movie for the year, I was ecstatic to realize it completely lived up to the hype I sought. The Fall Guy is full of cheeky comedy, a romance with history, a great music score, and perfectly executed callbacks.

With a 7/10 on IMDb, 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 73% on Metacritic, The Fall Guy follows Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a stuntman who returns to work after more than a year of leaving the profession. Big-shot movie star Tom Ryder, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, has disappeared, and his producer Gail Meyer, played by Hannah Waddingham, requests Colt back to help find him. Fortunately or unfortunately, his ex-girlfriend, Emily Blunt as Jody Moreno, is directing her first movie and doesn’t want Colt around. What follows is a funny, action-filled plotline with a couple of twists and turns, including a dog with French commands, a slow-mo hallucinogenic fight scene, stunts, stunts, and more stunts.

Although its official genres are action and comedy, I expected a little more romance based on the first trailer released. I will admit I didn’t watch any follow-up trailers, which might’ve given a different impression. I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed, only a little sad that we didn’t get to see Emily Blunt’s character more on-screen since she was what drew me to the movie in the first place. I was expecting a little more duo-action between Gosling and Blunt’s characters, too. I did enjoy how she was his main motivation throughout the movie, so even though there were fewer scenes of them, it’s still clear they were a pair.

This didn’t throw me completely off, considering how well Gosling played Colt, and the side characters were incredible as well. I loved Dan Tucker, played by Winstone Duke, and his close friendship and professional relationship with Colt. Those two were able to satiate my need for some duo-action, kicking ass in plenty of scenes. Blunt as Jody even had a few singular action scenes, knocking some heads herself. Other side characters, like Alma Milan played by Stephanie Hsu, made a big difference in making the movie enjoyable, with their reactions and performances. Some of the best comedic scenes were played out alongside them, even background characters like those that played the aliens on set.

One of the best parts of the movie was also the music choices, which hit very well for comedic purposes. The timing of them was impeccable and the continued theme “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” was the perfect amalgamation of fun, romance, and rock. I also loved the juxtaposition they did between the “movie scenes” of Jody’s debut movie and cutting back to how the stunts are done. Parallels were a big deal in the movie, which is quickly evident when Jody compares her big break to her and Colt’s story. The Fall Guy was filled with fun moments of irony like this, both in music and scenes.

A reason I love seeing comedy alongside other genres is because of the quick wit and banter that usually comes from them. The Fall Guy was no exception to this, especially in the deadpan type of delivery that I enjoy. The physical comedy was also pretty spot-on for my humor. When Jody put on the giant fake alien hand and was casually tapping and rubbing her face with it while having a semi-serious conversation on the phone with Colt, I was beside myself.

The last thing I want to praise is the fact that the plot twist (though, I think it’s more like three smaller twists back to back) actually surprised me. Most of the time, I’m able to sniff out twists, but with this movie, I was happily caught off guard. Perhaps I’d have to watch the movie back to see if any hints were dropped, but I might’ve been so absorbed in the fun that I wasn’t even thinking everything wasn’t as straightforward as it first appeared. I believe that’s a credit to the movie. Plus, unrelated to the plot, there’s a big surprise cameo at the end that made me laugh out loud.

My only complaint was wishing they focused a little more on Colt’s recovery and some of his emotions behind it. We do get a pretty great monologue apology near the end of the movie, but as much as I enjoyed the humor and explosions, I think it would’ve benefited from a little bit more depth at times. Gabby also pointed out a line at the end that was sort of out of character for Tom, but I won’t spoil exactly what that was.

Now, are you curious if Ryan Gosling did his own stunts? He didn’t, at least, not most of them! While Gosling did perform some of his stunts, he had stunt doubles performed the majority. This is evident during the first of the credits, as a montage of footage of stunt doubles and stunts from the movie is shown. They weren’t only Gosling’s, but any stunt doubles from the movie. If anything, I’m not only leaving this movie with a good laugh but with a renewed appreciation for the work of stunt coordinators and stunt people.

The movie is very loosely based on the TV show “The Fall Guy,” which ran in the 80’s, starring Lee Majors and Heather Thomas. Before going to see “The Fall Guy” (movie), it’d be beneficial to look up these two!