"The Fall Guy" is an action film. It has lots of memorable comedic elements. It adheres to a lot of the conventions of a rom-com. But mostly, "The Fall Guy" is just great summer fun.
Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is a former stuntman who broke his back on set. Now he's parking cars in Los Angeles. But wait! He's summoned to Sydney to do stunts in "Metalstorm" (tagline: "It's High Noon at the End of the Universe!"), a love story involving a space cowboy and an alien princess. Oh, yeah. The film is being directed by Jody (Emily Blunt), Colt's former love interest before he disappeared into seclusion following his injury. But wait (again)! The male lead for the film has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Will Colt rekindle his relationship with his lost love? Will he save the film by finding the missing actor? Will there be more rhetorical questions?
First and foremost, this film is an homage to stuntpersons - stuntmen, stuntwomen, whatever - the unsung heroes who make the lead actors appear heroic. In an interview with the "New York Times," Ryan Gosling said this whole enterprise is "a giant campaign to get stunts an Oscar." (There is currently no Oscar category for stunt work.) Given that the film's production budget was $140 million, there could have been more economical ways to make the point, but fair enough. There are lots of fabulous stunts throughout, including a Guinness World Record for a car completing 8.5 revolutions in a cannon roll scene. This film may give you heightened appreciation the next time you go to an action film and see stunts that are literally death-defying.
A few fun facts about this project. First, the film is loosely based on "The Fall Guy" TV series that ran from 1981-1986. Lee Majors, the star of the show, and Heather Thomas, another actor from the series, appear in a cameo at the end of this picture.
Second, this project spent over twenty years "in development" in Hollywood. Along the way, Dwayne Johnson and Nicolas Cage were each associated with the film at various times. Apparently, these two are so ubiquitious that all new movies are contractually obliged to consider each of them for the male lead.
Third, "Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn" was a real film. It came out in 1983, with the same misbegotten tagline mentioned above. It's known primarily because it was the feature film debut for Kelly Preston ("Mischief," recurring role as Mrs. John Travolta) and also starred Richard Moll ("Bull" Shannon on TV's "Night Court").
Fourth, Director David Leitch ("Atomic Blonde," "Bullet Train," "Deadpool 2") is himself a former stuntman. He has eighty-two stunt credits, including working five times as stunt double for Brad Pitt, multiple times for Matt Damon and twice for Jean-Claude Van Damme. He's won two Screen Actors Guild awards (they DO have a category for stunt work) for his previous projects.
More than a fun fact: both Gosling and Blunt are really terrific in this film. They're clearly having a great time and enjoying each other's company. This is just another facet of Blunt's diverse portfolio. After coming to prominence in "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006), she's worked as Queen Victoria, starred in "Sicario" and "Edge of Tomorrow" as an action heroine (hero-person, you decide) and even done the voice of Fizzlepop Berrytwist in "My Little Pony: The Movie." Gosling, in the meantime, has honed manly vulnerability to an art form. Isn't "I'm Just Ken" now the designated anthem for all males everywhere?
Go see this film. You don't have to be shot out of a cannon or descend on guidewires to your favorite multiplex. Feel free to amble in at your own pace. And don't be in a rush to leave. The outtakes and cameos in the closing credits are worth your time.
Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is a former stuntman who broke his back on set. Now he's parking cars in Los Angeles. But wait! He's summoned to Sydney to do stunts in "Metalstorm" (tagline: "It's High Noon at the End of the Universe!"), a love story involving a space cowboy and an alien princess. Oh, yeah. The film is being directed by Jody (Emily Blunt), Colt's former love interest before he disappeared into seclusion following his injury. But wait (again)! The male lead for the film has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Will Colt rekindle his relationship with his lost love? Will he save the film by finding the missing actor? Will there be more rhetorical questions?
First and foremost, this film is an homage to stuntpersons - stuntmen, stuntwomen, whatever - the unsung heroes who make the lead actors appear heroic. In an interview with the "New York Times," Ryan Gosling said this whole enterprise is "a giant campaign to get stunts an Oscar." (There is currently no Oscar category for stunt work.) Given that the film's production budget was $140 million, there could have been more economical ways to make the point, but fair enough. There are lots of fabulous stunts throughout, including a Guinness World Record for a car completing 8.5 revolutions in a cannon roll scene. This film may give you heightened appreciation the next time you go to an action film and see stunts that are literally death-defying.
A few fun facts about this project. First, the film is loosely based on "The Fall Guy" TV series that ran from 1981-1986. Lee Majors, the star of the show, and Heather Thomas, another actor from the series, appear in a cameo at the end of this picture.
Second, this project spent over twenty years "in development" in Hollywood. Along the way, Dwayne Johnson and Nicolas Cage were each associated with the film at various times. Apparently, these two are so ubiquitious that all new movies are contractually obliged to consider each of them for the male lead.
Third, "Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn" was a real film. It came out in 1983, with the same misbegotten tagline mentioned above. It's known primarily because it was the feature film debut for Kelly Preston ("Mischief," recurring role as Mrs. John Travolta) and also starred Richard Moll ("Bull" Shannon on TV's "Night Court").
Fourth, Director David Leitch ("Atomic Blonde," "Bullet Train," "Deadpool 2") is himself a former stuntman. He has eighty-two stunt credits, including working five times as stunt double for Brad Pitt, multiple times for Matt Damon and twice for Jean-Claude Van Damme. He's won two Screen Actors Guild awards (they DO have a category for stunt work) for his previous projects.
More than a fun fact: both Gosling and Blunt are really terrific in this film. They're clearly having a great time and enjoying each other's company. This is just another facet of Blunt's diverse portfolio. After coming to prominence in "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006), she's worked as Queen Victoria, starred in "Sicario" and "Edge of Tomorrow" as an action heroine (hero-person, you decide) and even done the voice of Fizzlepop Berrytwist in "My Little Pony: The Movie." Gosling, in the meantime, has honed manly vulnerability to an art form. Isn't "I'm Just Ken" now the designated anthem for all males everywhere?
Go see this film. You don't have to be shot out of a cannon or descend on guidewires to your favorite multiplex. Feel free to amble in at your own pace. And don't be in a rush to leave. The outtakes and cameos in the closing credits are worth your time.
Tell Your Friends