Falling For The Fall Guy
Not just Ken — Ryan Gosling does romance, comedy and stunts! Emily Blunt sings…and provides a perfect smart romantic/comedic foil. Whilst not as sharp and quick fire as Barbie, this is more dry, wry comedy — but I still found my face aching from smiling by the end. And the end credits are worth hanging around for as you get to see the actual stunts created, learn whether Gosling does do his own stunts — as well as meeting a Fall Guy or two.
It’s just really, really fun — and good vibes only! I’m also here for Jean-Claude, an acting dog who only works in French commands, and reminds us of the importance of seat-belt safety.
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With a twist to the original, Ryan Gosling is a more vulnerable Fall Guy, Colt Seavers, who literally suffers a fall, a broken back and disappears into obscurity. Emily Blunt, rather than being Fall Girl/Woman, is an up-and-coming director Jody Moreno who appreciates her stunts and pyrotechnics. Both Colt and Jody are suffering from broken hearts too after Colt vanished. However a phone call from Hannah Waddingham going full Bob Hoskins as producer Gail Meyer gets him back into the stunt game — and into forced contact with Jody. He’s also being paid to do the stunts for foolish actor Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson in overdrive mode). Stoically sighing his way through it all, Meyer pushes him into being a detective too when Ryder mysteriously vanishes — leading to encounters with a drug dealer, a neon club night, unicorns and a dead body.
Framed and blamed for a murder he did not commit due to fakery, Colt ends up performing a series of real-life stunts to stay alive and find the real murderer. Meanwhile Jody has to navigate all of this and complete her movie Metalstorm. (Part Dune, part Mad Max, part Cowboy meets Alien love story!)
Winston Duke as Dan Tucker, Colt’s best friend and the coordinator of stunts is charming and I wish he had more screen time. From helping Colt to fight the bad guys to being forced to karaoke, he’s delightful. Never has the placing of a crash mat been so cinematic before! Stephanie Hsu as Tom Ryder’s put-upon PA is somewhat wasted as she gets kidnapped, fails to look down and has a dismal fight scene. One of the bad guys rifling her handbag though is a golden moment as he pulls up regular things like water bottles!
Whilst not the belly-laugh I was expecting, it is very entertaining, the fight and stunt scenes are well-executed (without being gratuitous), and there are a lot of wow moments. See it for the magnifique Jean-Claude, a surprise guest, Gosling’s Fall Guy weeping to Taylor Swift songs, predictive text going cheekily wrong, Colt’s relentless search for coffee…and the rebellious pyrotechnics crew.
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