The Fall Guy

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddington, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Ben Knight, Lee Majors, Jason Momoa (uncredited)
Directed by: David Leitch
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Comedy
2024

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A stuntman (Ryan Gosling) travels to Australia after a near-fatal accident to rekindle his romance with an up-and-coming director (Emily Blunt), but gets dragged into a plot involving a missing movie star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).

Review:
Tim: I had a lot of fun watching David Leitch's The Fall Guy. It's funny, entertaining, and has some solid action sequences. So, it's a bit odd that I didn't like it more. I'd consider it good, but flawed. Here's the odd thing though- the flaws aren't very visible. This is one of those movies that feels a bit harder to classify, a bit harder to evaluate. I enjoyed the film and I have good memories of watching it, but I rated it a bit lower than I would have expected. To add to the mystery, this was one of the more disappointing films at the box office in 2024. It didn't clear $100 million, despite having a few big stars and a mix of action and comedy. Audiences weren't sold. What exactly is going on with The Fall Guy?

Here's what I think- I believe the film got the balance between comedy and action wrong. The film is truly first and foremost a comedy. That's what it leads with, that's the main appeal. The action always feels like it comes secondary. But, here's the thing- the film isn't really all that funny. It's "action movie" funny. Sure, there's humorous sequences throughout. Some of them sort of make you chuckle. But, there's nothing so over-the-top funny to make it feel like a must-see. When the film places the major emphasis on the comedy, the action has to take a backseat. The action is solid, but it's not the main appeal of the film. There's not enough action, not enough set pieces. Some of the best action scenes (like the chase scene) are still comedy-first. We all know comedy is hard to do and can be hit-or-miss. So, you have a film that leads with comedy, doesn't seem hilarious, and also doesn't have the action-forward, big set pieces that would draw audiences in. This film 100% feels like a "wait until streaming". That's what I did. I never for a second considered going to the theater to see this film.

This same mix influences the quality of the film. The movie needed to be funnier. Sure, it elicits laughs on occasion. However, there's nothing especially memorable about any of the comedic aspects of the film. I saw the movie a few weeks ago now and I couldn't tell you one thing that truly made me laugh. I vaguely recall laughing, but whatever it was, was forgettable. The whole movie feels lightweight (which might have been an intentional artistic choice), but that lightness, while fun in the moment, also makes the movie feel disposable. So, comedy is fine, and the action is fine, too. Sure, there's some nice moments and good fight scenes, but again, it's all comedy first, action second. So, we get very few standout action sequences. What this all translates to is a good, entertaining movie that never feels like it hits with all its force. Everything it does is good, but blunted. It pulls all its punches (like a stuntman, ironically).

The cast is great. Ryan Gosling has certainly emerged as one of the bigger movie stars in the world. I know people will debate that and if he can truly carry movies alone (this film's disappointing box office take is more evidence against that). However, Gosling is someone who makes such interesting movie choices that you almost have to see whatever he's going to do next. He does comedy exceptionally well and has been building his action chops in recent years, so he was ideal for this role. He's great in the part- he's funny, charismatic, makes an emotional connection with the audience- he's the perfect person for this role. Emily Blunt is excellent, too. I love that she's also done both comedy and action and while she is relegated to the sidelines too much here, she's still the ideal match for Gosling. They have chemistry together on screen- that was visible and felt authentic. They are a great duo and I sincerely hope they make more movies together. Blunt is another actor who has emerged as one of the brightest stars today. She's someone who always want to see what she's doing next. Gosling and Blunt definitely make this movie work.

I like Aaron Taylor-Johnson and it was fun watching him ham it up in this ridiculous, over-the-top role. He's almost pure comedy, which I think was good for him. I'm a big Ted Lasso fan and I loved seeing Hannah Waddington here. Her role wasn't quite as likeable, but it was a blast seeing her in a completely different role from her famous television one. Stephanie Hsu adds some nice work here. Winston Duke is a scene-stealer. I absolutely wish he had more screen time- the movie gets better every single time Duke comes on screen.

So, yes, The Fall Guy is a success (of a sort). It's a good movie. It's entertaining and funny. However, it feels like all the pieces were here for something truly outstanding and Leitch didn't quite deliver that. Maybe I'm being too hard on this film- I've thought of that repeatedly. However, I think this movie is sugary and syrupy and it tastes good going down, but upon further reflection, there's not enough substance. Not enough depth. The movie does work hard to highlight the importance of stuntpeople in the movies (they are criminally undervalued), but outside of that, we needed this film to dig a bit deeper.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Bullet Train, Atomic Blonde, The Nice Guys, Jungle Cruise