May 6, 2024 · Watch the official trailer
Stunt performers risk their lives every day all for the entertainment of audiences that they’ll never see.
They throw themselves off buildings, get set on fire, and take endless bumps, bruises and other risks of permanent injury or death just to create dazzling spectacles and action sequences for moviegoers to enjoy on the big screen.
And yet somehow, astonishingly, the world of stunt work is not regarded at the same level as other technical crafts by the Academy Awards or other major voting bodies for that matter.
Director David Leitch’s latest film seeks to change all that.
“The Fall Guy,” starring Ryan Gosling as a stunt performer seeking to win back the affections of an ex he left behind, is a cinematic love letter to the death-defying work of stunt performers and is perhaps the year’s most fun, lighthearted, entertaining blockbuster.
Gosling stars as Colt, a stuntman called to Australia in order to find a missing actor he usually doubles for to save his ex’s directorial debut. Gosling’s natural charm exudes throughout, yet it’s also easy to see remnants of his awkwardly buffoonish, Oscar-nominated turn as Ken in last year’s megahit “Barbie” come out in “The Fall Guy” as well.
Colt is an effortlessly engaging character to watch largely because Gosling’s high energy, enthusiasm, and natural charisma allow audiences to sink into the ridiculousness of the plotline without feeling the absurdity of it all.
It also helps that there is a somewhat stilted, yet natural chemistry with Emily Blunt, who plays Colt’s ex, Jody. While there is the usual push-pull to a romantic comedy between their characters, there’s a pleasant effortlessness to the way their banter naturally works and audiences can lock into the idea of their romance.
The supporting cast around the leads are relatively hit-and-miss with “Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham chewing up the screen as a film producer manipulating Colt and Jody’s romance and Aaron Taylor-Johnson intentionally going over the top as the leading man who probably shouldn’t be a leading man.
However, “The Fall Guy” gives far too little time and character development to Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” fame and especially veteran character actor Winston Duke.
The driving force behind “The Fall Guy” obviously is its action sequences and stunt work, both in the stunt work that the movie shows Colt doing, but also in the numerous set pieces that Colt finds himself stumbling into, which allow the film’s actual stunt performers to showcase the full embodiment of their work.
Each sequence is unique, challenging, and audacious without becoming overly violent. “The Fall Guy” is an exceptionally family-friendly movie with a PG-13 rating and constrains its violence to fall more in line with an Avengers film than Leitch’s work on “Deadpool 2.”
Designed to be seen in an IMAX format, it’s probably not necessary to drive to a premium format to watch “The Fall Guy” although the wider screens and intense atmosphere they provide would go far in helping immerse viewers in the experience that is truly meant to drive appreciation for an underrecognized aspect of moviemaking.
Though it’s unlikely that the Academy would move quickly enough to create a stunt category in time for “The Fall Guy” to earn a nomination, it’s clearly deserving of one and it’s also quite possible that Oscar voters might find a way to sneak the film into a visual effects category to further the cause for a stunt category.
Regardless, with a charming Gosling at the center and incredibly fun stunt work throughout, “The Fall Guy” is easily the most entertaining time at the theaters audiences have probably had to date and should become a much bigger box office draw closer to summer.
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