With all due respect to VFX artists, The Fall Guy, a film based on the 80s TV series, is a charmingly simple counterattack against the pervasiveness of digital effects in both reality and cinema. It’s a celebration of big-budget films and the illusions of grandeur they create, primarily achieved by dozens upon dozens of people working together below the line, and in particular, the unsung heroes of stunt doubles. Aside from that, it’s just a fun time all around: two hours of well-timed jokes, two real movie stars with strong chemistry, a few amusingly meta jabs at the industry, and lots of outrageous stunts.
As Colt Seavers, a seasoned movie stunt veteran whose confidence was destroyed by an on-set injury, Gosling—the recent Oscars pop sensation and quintessential charmer—is in top comedic form. Jaded and living in hiding in Los Angeles as a valet at a Mexican restaurant, Colt is grudgingly brought back into action for the troubled Australian production of Metalstorm, a sci-fi film aimed towards Comic-Con, by big-time producer Gail (Hannah Waddingham). Both the promise and the issue lie in the fact that Jody (Blunt), Colt’s love interest, is directing Metalstorm. Colt shame-ghosted Jody following his accident, leaving her bewildered, wounded, and resentful.
The studio’s threat to abandon Jody’s lifetime dream of making her debut feature comes from the strange disappearance of her longtime double and Colt’s global action hero, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Colt looks for him in Sydney, hoping to salvage her movie, and to her surprise, he’s doing stunt work outside the set, with shady personalities and mystery around. Put another way, Ken as an action figure.
Leitch, who worked as a stuntman for more than 20 years (at one point filling in for Brad Pitt), directs the picture with obvious enthusiasm and industry knowledge. In the fun-dumb story Metalstorm, a loving spoof of Cowboys & Aliens and Dune, The Fall Guy delivers an entertaining display of the stunt staples: pyrotechnics, rigging, trained dogs, automobile chases, car accidents, dummy weaponry, combat choreography, and more. All of these elements are flawlessly mixed into the story. The film celebrates and parodies various movie-set clichés, such as the conceited, self-centered producer Gail, the gullible movie star Tom Ryder, the endearingly skilled stunt coordinator Dan (Winston Duke), and the cunning, opportunistic assistant Alma Milan (Stephanie Hsu). In addition, there is currently no Oscar category for best stunt work, despite the usage of split screens, story structure, Tom Cruise, and other elements. (Maybe one might celebrate Fall Guy stuntman Logan Holiday, who, while filming, broke the Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls in a car—8.5.)
All of it is a lighthearted, humorous, and believable romantic joy that pays homage to the art of producing large-scale films with elaborate stunts while being sensitive and lighthearted. Because of this, the mystery plot is flimsy and almost ridiculous, even for this degree of silliness; it serves mostly as a setup for a spectacular finale that is a chef’s kiss on the unsung heroes of the work. Nevertheless, Leitch has achieved something exceptional in the world of big-budget studio blockbusters: a big-budget movie that leans toward tongue-in-cheek comedy without coming across as sycophantic, that gambles long on human labor, and that caters to but does not pander to its audience. (It also helps that Gosling’s comedic accuracy is rising above Kenergy standards.) Up there with the finest of them, The Fall Guy skillfully celebrates the sometimes literal heights achieved on the big screen for the sake of public pleasure.
