Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of April 29, 2024
The Fall Guy
Rated PG-13 for drug content, action and violence, and some strong language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
In Theaters
From Deadpool 2 director (and former stunt man) David Leitch, comes this high-octane action comedy, loosely based on the 80’s television show of the same title. Here, Ryan Gosling plays Colt Seavers, a legendary stuntman who gets spooked when a stunt goes terribly wrong. Playing the part of Jody is Emily Blunt, a crew member Colt was in love with before his accident, only to ghost her afterward. When he is called back into action again, this time to work for Jody, who is now a big-time director, he jumps at the chance of redemption and hopeful reconciliation, only to find that his life is in danger since the actor he stunts for (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is missing. Packed with action and humor, the movie meanders between beats, never taking anything too seriously, but always having fun along the way. Sure, the movie is essentially a series of big set pieces with the necessary story interjected to propel it, but even though the whole thing is ridiculous – it works. Gosling is so perfect in this part, chewing up the screen with his very believable stunt man vibes, poking fun of Hollywood, while making you forget that he actually is Hollywood. And with Blunt as his leading lady, you get fantastic chemistry and a believable romance. The script never ventures too deep, but the surface-level courtship is more than enough to put a smile on your face. And then there is Taylor-Johnson, who doesn’t really appear in the film until late in, but when he finally does show up, he gives us the frosting on the cake. His Matthew McConaughey impersonation as the Space Cowboy is a riot. While there are a few plot-holes and maybe a little too much tongue-in-cheek dialog at times, the faults of the project are largely forgivable, and the end result is a terrific date movie that should both excite you and at times even have you in stitches. B+