The Fall Guy

Swimming costumes, spicy margaritas, and bad decisions.

If you know me, you know I don't like romcoms. I'm not a very big fan of romance at all, really. I'm not a fan of Ryan Gosling, either. (Or at least, I wasn't... that has now changed.) No offence to the guy, I'm sure he's smashing. I just thought (probably unfairly, to be honest) "he's that guy who does romcoms". (He stole the show in Barbie, though.)

So why, exactly, do I keep sloping back to the cinema to watch this one again? And again? Why do I go home with my face splitting in two every time?

The premise

The film is is an action comedy about a stunt man, Colt Seavers (Gosling). Doing stunts. And also solving a mystery, and trying to win back the woman he loves, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) in the process. As you can imagine, there's a hefty dollop of romance in there, which I wouldn't normally go for. I think it works for this film, though.

The Unknown Stuntman

How many of you are gonna show your age now? This was a series back in the 80's, and the film is based on it. It uses the same character (Colt Seavers).

The stunt man does all the hard stuff... gets beat up, set on fire, thrown out of windows, thrown around, dropped, etc. etc. etc... and in the end, some other guy kisses the girl and gets all the credit.

Who's in it?

You may remember Gosling from such films as "Barbie" (he played Ken; SUBLIME), and La La Land (no idea who his character was in that one, I didn't see it.)

Emily Blunt was in Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise, and she was also in A Quiet Place. I'll cheerfully watch anything she's in, because she's ace.

What to expect

Go into it knowing this: the film is completely ridiculous. It's over the top, silly, far-fetched, wildly corny and unrealistic.

But it knows it. And it doesn't care. It leans right into that skid and it works.

It's slick.

It takes all these tropes, (the car chases, the ridiculous fights that should end with broken bones rather than more running about, the big obligatory Hollywood kiss...) Stuff that should be tired and unworkable, but this film makes them work. It does them well, with tongue firmly in cheek.

The balance between action, comedy, and romance is... chef's kiss.

It's got a bit of everything. It's a whodunit. It's got romance. Twists. Action. References to other big movies. It's got Emily Blunt (she's a national treasure and an absolute delight). Car chases. Stunts, obviously. A cool dog. It's funny. It's a scrappy underdog taking on the big obnoxious names in Hollywood. It highlights the mostly unsung work put in by stunt men and women. It's a parody of itself. It's unapologetic, Mostly... it's just fun. Lots and lots of fun.

This film reminds me of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. (If you haven't seen that already, please rectify at the earliest opportunity. It's really, really good.)

This one reminds me of Unbearable Weight because it's a movie about itself. It pokes fun at itself. If you've seen TUWOMT, you'll know exactly what I mean. If you haven't, stop what you are doing, and go and watch it. It is, IMO, Nic Cage's masterpiece.

The Music

Whether the songs are your cup of tea or not, you have to admit they were well-chosen. I love that the really crap, obnoxious music is what "Tom Ryder" (super action movie star) listens to.

The Highlights

I don't want to tell you too much about what happens. I am positive you can predict some of it, but other bits might take you by surprise, and I don't want to ruin that.

I do love the bit where Seavers and Jean-Claude are fighting bad guys in the skip, and Jody is down the street at a bar, belting out a cheesy karaoke tune. I love it when he steers a boat with his bottom. It should have been a "oh come on!" moment, but I couldn't stop chuckling. When she makes him redo a stunt because she's mad at him, that is great too. Very relatable.

You can probably spot lots of nods and winks to other famous movies. I love that sort of thing.

Stay for the credits to see some behind the scenes bits and bobs, and hear the theme tune from the 80's series (core memory unlocked!)

Go see it if:

• you love action movies, with fights, car chases, stunts, etc.
• you like Gosling and/or Blunt
• you are a sensible person who enjoyed The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
• you just want a fun film that will make you smile
• you like movies like Deadpool 2 and Bullet Train (same director!)

To sum up

Absolutely great fun, highly recommend. It's been ages since I enjoyed a film this much.

Oh, and...

I will now watch anything Gosling does. He could shit in a policeman's hat and give it to his grieving widow, and I would pay good money for the privilege of seeing it.



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Thank you for reading!

Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave me a comment!

PS. Is it just me or does he kind of look a bit like William Zabka with his hair like that?

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