The Fall Guy tells the story of Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), a stuntman who, after a terrible accident on a film, had left the industry and his girlfriend Jody (Emily Blunt) behind. But after he’s completed his recovery, and believing his ex, now a director, wants him working on her film, he jumps back into the industry only to find himself embroiled in a missing person case.
The Fall Guy is based on the 1980s TV show of the same name. The show was about Colt Seavers, who was a stuntman but also a bounty hunter. And seemingly, every movie he worked on coincided with someone that needed tracking down, or some crime or another that needed to be solved. Honestly, it feels like trouble followed him around. The character of Jody, however, is very different. In the show she was part of Colt’s team, and whatever situation the team found themselves in, there was always some reason for Jody to wear skimpy clothes, likely a bikini.
Colt: “In order to get our guy we’re going to need to infiltrate NASA. But how?”
Jody: “I could wear a bikini.”
Colt: “Of course. That should work.”
So, it’s not so much of a remake for the big screen, but rather uses the basic premise as a jumping off point.
But The Fall Guy feel like two movies mashed together. The first is a romantic comedy. And for me this is the weak part of the movie. The dialogue is clunky, and I never bought into the two characters rekindling a romance. It feels very forced. Fortunately, both Gosling and Blunt exude quite a lot of natural charm, so even at it’s weakest, the pair can make it work well enough to keep the movie from slipping into unwatchable territory.
Much more successful though is when the movie operates as an action comedy. And this makes sense. Director David Leitch seems more at home with action, having previously been a stuntman/coordinator. As he himself has said, The Fall Guy is really a love letter to stunt people and that community. And it really shows. The stunts are terrific and, as far as I can tell, are mostly (if not completely) practical (which makes a big difference). Are they over the top? Do they require a suspension of disbelief? Sure, but that’s how you want them in a movie like this. And as long as the movie kept to the action it was quite enjoyable.
But despite the great action, The Fall Guy never fully comes together as a complete movie. The romantic comedy aspect just never worked for me. And the at times the comedy can fall back on the same joke too many times (for instance a dog that only understands French). It’s a bit of a missed opportunity, and I feel if some more attention had been given to the script – maybe punch up some of the dialogue – this could have been great. Still, with the natural charm of the leads, and some fantastic stunt work, The Fall Guy is worth seeing.
Have you seen The Fall Guy? Are you planning to? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.