The Fall Guy (2024)
Ryan Gosling plays a stuntman trying to
solve a mystery and, in doing so, save the directorial debut of the woman he
loves (Emily Blunt) in The Fall Guy.
Stuntman-turned-director David Leitch's
film is loosely based on the early 1980s TV show of the same name starring Lee
Majors. Here, Gosling plays Colt Seavers, a stuntman returning from a serious
back injury. After blowing it with Jody (Blunt) while recovering from his
injury, he gets a lifeline when a desperate producer (Hannah Waddingham of Ted
Lasso) recruits him to find the absent star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) of
Jody's film. Colt's not interested in the star's safety as much as he is
returning himself to Jody's good graces.
At 126 minutes, the movie rambles a bit
in its final act. It reaches a point that feels like an ending but then it
keeps going for an additional ending. However, the journey getting there is a
lot of fun. Blunt and Gosling have great chemistry. The plotting may not hold
up to intense scrutiny, but there are enough laughs and twists to keep viewers
entertained. Taylor-Johnson does good work as the oblivious, egomaniacal star
who endlessly insists he does all of his own stunts even though he most
definitely does not.
The real show is Blunt and Gosling. For
the movie to work, you have to root for them and want to see them together, and
you do.
