Saturday, May 04, 2024

Film: The Fall Guy

 

GENRE: Action/Comedy
RATING: PG-13 for action, violence, drugs and some strong language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 6 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Ryan Gosling (Barbie, La La Land, The Nice Guys, Drive)
Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, Quiet Place); Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)
DIRECTOR: David Leitch (Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde)
WRITER: Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3, Hobbs & Shaw; M:I5: Rogue Nation)
PLOT: A stuntman must find the missing star of his ex-girlfriend’s film.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I enjoyed the 80’s TV show this is loosely based on.  

STORY STUFF: That was a lot of fun. You can tell that everyone had a blast making this film. They energy is evident. The plot works for me as I like how they play with the film’s title. There’s a couple scenes where the stunts go on for a bit too long but it was still a fun, non-stop thrill ride. The dialogue is crisp, clever and meta. I liked the references they made to the TV original as well.      

ACTING STUFF: Gosling lights up the screen. He is electrifying and keeps you fully entertained. Gosling has great chemistry with Blunt who also gets some fun scenes to shine. I loved the douche-ness of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Tom Ryder; so fun. Waddingham is a little too cartoonish but still enjoyable. Great work all around.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The stunts are incredible. It’s directed by a stuntman so I expect those to be top notch. No lame CGI here. The soundtrack is amazing. I love the song choices throughout. I couldn’t even tell you which was my favourite because they all fit so beautifully. When it comes to production design, there is the thing about post-it notes. It is hilarious and I wish I could read them all.           

VERDICT: Five stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like to have fun at the movies.
UPCOMING REVIEW:  IF?, Furiosa?