GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★
Rated: M
Directed by: David Leitch
Written by: Drew Pearce
Based on the TV Series by: Glen A. Larson
Produced by: Guymon Casady, David Leitch, Kelly McCormick
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Zara Michales, Ben Knight.
‘I’m just the stunt guy.’
Ryan Gosling as stunt man Colt Seavers to super star, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) brings back the adorable to a tough guy role, ‘Did she say anything about me?’
Because after Colt breaks his back during a stunt on set, he disappears from his girlfriend, camera person, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt).
Colt changes his number.
He gets a job parking cars.
Then Colt gets called back to work by Tom’s agent Gail (Hannah Waddingham) directed by none other than his ex, Jody.
Gail tells him Jody wants him back.
Colt definitely wants her back.
He just doesn’t know how to say it. He just does things like cry his eyes out to Taylor Swift and pulls the tie under Jody’s gardening hat snug under her chin.
Did I say adorable?
I was surprised about how much of this movie is a romance between these two: stunt man and camera person turned director.
And as advertised, The Fall Guy is also a stunt movie, based on the TV series from the 80s, filmed in Sydney Australia which is pretty cool, with so very many explosions and I have to say terrible humour.
Think a Post-it note with, ‘Sell cockatoo’ written on one side and on the other, ‘Buy koala.’
The Aussie references hit like a lead balloon.
And the not so subtle dual meaning of the movie storyline and romance was overcooked, as was the fast forward dialogue. It felt like there was one speed and it was run around, talk fast at highly agitated levels and again, explosions. It was too much.
Colt when tied up and trying to talk his way out even talks about movies made with ‘too much.’
But I have to say those hesitations and head flicks from Gosling added just the right amount of giggle because it was subtle.
And yes, the addition of a unicorn to illustrate Colt’s state of mind was clever and genuinely funny.
So, yes there’s a lot of fun here, but unlike the stunts, not all the humour landed.
