MOVIE REVIEW: THE FALL GUY (PG-13)
The new action/romance THE FALL GUY is based on the 80s Lee Majors-fronted television series of the same name…Sort of. That series followed Colt Seavers, a stuntman by day and bounty hunter by night who would find himself in various situations from week to week.
In this flashy, big budget, updated take on the series, “it” guy Ryan Gosling takes on the lead role of Seavers; a movie stuntman who loses his mojo following a stunt gone wrong. In an attempt to get that mojo back and gain the attention of the twinkle in his eye, Jody Moreno (an on the rise movie director played by the lovely Emily Blunt), Seavers decides to jump back into the game, a choice that brings him face to face with a handful of colorful unsavory types.
As Colt Seavers, Gosling has swagger to spare in a part that sort of fuses the tough guy persona of his role in DRIVE with the more lovable (and goofy) vibe that he won the world over with in last year’s box-office smash, BARBIE. As the object of his affection, an adorable Emily Blunt brings the charisma and comic timing in spades as an ambitious filmmaker who’s position in the industry means more to her than any flight-of-fancy romance. Or does it?
In typical romantic comedy fashion, it’s pretty obvious how these characters truly feel about one another and that’s the driving force behind the movie even though the trailers would suggest otherwise. Yes, there’s action, yes there’s intrigue, and yes, there are the prerequisite double-crosses, but that all takes a backseat to sheer star appeal.
Stunt-man-turned-director David Leitch (JOHN WICK) moves things along at a quick enough clip but THE FALL GUY suffers from being a little overstuffed. Obviously, I should be reviewing the film that was made and not the one I was hoping to see but the truth is, I wanted this to be more of a loving tribute to stuntmen rather than a quintessential romantic comedy with action beats. I wanted it to be the movie that screams at the Oscars and says “Why in the hell haven’t you added a Stunt Coordination category at the AcademyAwards?!” Not that the Oscars are the barometer for all that is great in cinema but I think you catch my drift. Don’t get me wrong. The action set pieces in this picture are occasionally fun but there’s nothing in this movie that reaches the jaw-dropping heights of Tom Cruise dangling from the tallest building in the world or Jackie Chan breaking nearly every bone in his body in the name of our grand entertainment.
Ultimately, THE FALL GUY is a movie that is often more chaotic than it is thrilling. Like Leitch’s last film, BULLET TRAIN only with a romance at the center. If only the action, the romance, and the overabundance of cuteness would have come together to make a more cohesive whole. Even as a love letter to the film industry itself, THE FALL GUY doesn’t quite rise to the challenge because it’s a little too precious and a little too on the nose, complete with a goofy modern action star cameo in the final act…A cameo I’ll refrain from spoiling in this review. As for the humor, it’s hit and miss. Some of the bigger laughs are the smaller, more subdued ones, including a slight but very funny sound cue that serves as an Easter Egg for fans of another very popular Lee Majors t.v. series.
In the end, even though THE FALL GUY doesn’t quite bring everything together, it still offers appealing superstars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, both of whom work overtime to charm the pants off of viewers and their presence alone does make this hit-and-miss movie worth a recommendation.
