- Release Date: 03/04/2024
- Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
- Director: David Leitch
Fall Guy blends heartwarming romance with exhilarating action, while offering a poignant tribute to the unsung heroes of the film industry
— Ambar Chatterjee
Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is the first-choice stuntman for Tom Ryder, the biggest Hollywood action star. He is in love with Jody (Emily Blunt), the cinematographer of the current action film he is working on. While pulling off one of the many death-defying stunts, he also chats up Jody, setting her up for a date on the beaches with spicy margaritas and bad decisions. Seavers’ life is turned upside down when he meets with a major accident that cuts short his successful stuntman career and throws him off so much that he severs all connections with the outer world, including Jody. Years later, Seavers is contacted by his past producer and called in to not only pull off some of the stunts in a new action film being directed by Jody and starring Tom Ryder of all people but also to save this dream project of Jody’s, as Tom has been missing for days. Seavers decides to take on the assignment for one reason and one reason only: to reconnect with Jody and win her love back, which as it turns out, doesn’t prove to be too difficult.
Crazy Stupid Love with A Dash of Heart-warming Romance and Nifty Exchanges:
“Fall Guy” was marketed as an action film, but it isn’t primarily that. There are some wonderfully executed action sequences, but what the film essentially is, is a romantic comedy that has two stars who are at the top of their respective games. The initial portions of the film are completely devoid of any action sequences and are underlined by the romantic drama brewing between Gosling and Blunt. Right from the scene where they see each other after the long layoff to the one where Blunt forces Gosling’s character to be smashed again and again against a rock while she shouts out her bottled-up rage about how he abandoned her and what it did to her was amazing. These portions were romantic and funny on so many different levels that I was almost reacting in two different ways at the same time to the same dialogues and expressions. That isn’t something that I have experienced in Hollywood romantic comedies recently as they are all so artificial and lack any genuine chemistry.
The way Gosling and Blunt play off of each other in the romantic scenes and the way they react to each other’s dialogues and mannerisms were exceptionally heartwarming and beguiling. The two characters look evidently and madly in love with each other and they are not even reserved about it, but the extraordinary situations that they find themselves in forces them to constantly postpone their love and this leads to some interesting drama. The majority of the film is taken up by banters and exchanges between these two actors, and it is their performance, their charm, and the fantastic writing of these situations between them that hold your attention and make you smile throughout as you witness the two characters do the most childish and stupid things and still say to yourself, ‘that’s what love makes you do.
Whatever Little Action Is There Is Fantastic:
There are two major action sequences involving the character of Seavers, and both these sequences that come right after the interval and then at the end are wonderfully envisioned and executed. The chase sequence in particular, which was also used as a major selling point in the trailer, was worth its price in gold as it goes on to depict how important it is for the cinematography, editing, and mounting of the action sequence to come together in order to deliver a compounded result. Some of the more outrageous action bits are also pulled off with equal elan and fun by a spirited team of stunt coordinators and experts. Director David Leitch was himself a legendary stuntman who doubled for Brad Pitt and then directed him in “Bullet Train”. He knows how best to stage and execute his action sequences while also keeping the proceedings breezy. These elements can be seen and appreciated in “Fall Guy”.
A Worthy Tribute to The Contributions of Stunt Men and Women in Films:
The film gives us an unprecedented number of details into the life and workings of stunt men and women, with a lot of technical jargon and real-life situations recreated. This, for me, was an interesting aspect of the film. The film also makes it a point to address how ignored and sometimes ill-treated stunt men and women can be, and it brings it out in a very natural, quirky, but poignant manner through its writing and dialogues. This was probably the best way to show these issues, and Leitch, being a stuntman himself, knew how best to put it all out. Having said that, the film still never gets preachy in this department. On the contrary, it underlines how liberating and inspiring the job of a stunt man or woman can be and makes the character of Seavers inspiring and desirable.
A Lot of Good Things We Saw in The Trailers Are Not in The Film:
This was an odd aspect of the film. There were many things in the trailers that were just not there in the film. Some iconic exchanges between Gosling and Blunt from the trailer were either recreated or were just removed. The bit where we see Gosling riding a scooter into a train and jumping out of the other side is not there. Some other smaller bits were also not there. This isn’t something that you expect from a film of this proportion and can feel very frustrating for many.
Final Words:
“Fall Guy” garnered a meager $28 million opening in the US, when expectations were set for a $40 million opening. People just didn’t turn up for this film, which starts off the summer blockbuster season on a dismal note. Everything that you expect from a film of this nature was delivered. It had two big stars who were charming and even occasionally broke into major fights. The story had enough material to justify its runtime. The tribute to the stunt men and women and copious amounts of details from their lives were on display like never before. The romance worked. The thrilling elements of the film worked too, and its primary antagonist did a fairly good job.
So, what went wrong? Apparently, nothing, but people still didn’t turn up for the film. Interestingly, I watched the film in PVR last Sunday and the theatre was packed. Hence, it would be safe to say that probably the film will have a better run in countries outside the US, which will still not bring it the kind of revenue that it set out to achieve. This also sounds the alarm for the next few big releases coming this month, starting with the new Planet of the Apes film. If the indications are to be read, that film needs to be exceptional if it has to pull in the audiences. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and I believe that will be the case for one and all who walk into it with the right expectations.
Ambar Chatterjee's Reviews 