Does a Hollywood stuntman ever get the credit – or the girl?
Such was the question posed by Lee Majors over each post-opening episode montage that began his classic 1980s series THE FALL GUY. Those of you like me, who were beginning our High or Secondary School years at that time, would always welcome Friday evening viewings of the show in the same spirit as they did THE A-TEAM or KNIGHT RIDER after we had finished our homework for the week.
At one point Dwayne Johnson was touted as the lead for the inevitable contemporary big-screen reboot of THE FALL GUY and given his own ever-growing pedigree on the big screen recently it seemed like perfect casting.
I don’t know if anybody had any anticipation of the ‘Barbieheimer‘ phenomenon that has played out over the last year or so was feeding into casting Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt for it as an alternative (who can predict what will work, as the late, great legendary screenwriter William Goldman said many a time?).
What I can predict is that this reboot and reworking of THE FALL GUY has every chance and the potential to be the first great blockbuster hit of 2024 and like 1993’s THE FUGITIVE provides a classic vision that will delight audiences through the Summer and beyond.
Gosling takes up the Lee Majors mantle as Colt Seavors, a Hollywood stuntman (but not here leading a double-career as a bounty hunter as Majors was in the original show) who has a crush on his cinematographer Jody Moreno (Blunt) on a film in which he doubles for flamboyant lead actor Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Unfortunately, he suffers a high fall accident smashing his back and retires from action working in a Mexican restaurant.
Things don’t look great months after the incident, until a fateful call from producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) brings him to Australia where Jody is surprised and shocked to see him after he performs a car flip stunt on the set of Moreno’s debut feature METALSTORM (think EDGE OF TOMORROW meets GUARDIANS!) and tries to rekindle their romance whilst being hit multiple times against a wall.
Complications have also set in, as Ryder has gone missing with a bad crowd and Meyer wants Seavors to locate him, even if it means him breaking a few bones and hearts in the process…..
The near-perfect chemistry of Gosling and Blunt heightens this fantastic movie, which is the best Hollywood spoof since TROPIC THUNDER. David Leitch (himself a stunt double for Brad Pitt and who has helmed big stunt extravaganzas like FAST & FURIOUS: HOBBS AND SHAW) is the man for this job. Their banter at this year’s Oscars, in which they paid tribute to the stuntpeople, was one of the best moments of the ceremony (next to Gosling’s storming performance of I’M JUST KEN).
Waddingham and Taylor-Johnson also add to the fun with their overbearing and over-the-top characters and clearly everyone is relishing their roles with gusto and charm.
The film from beginning to end also evokes memories of Hal Needham’s HOOPER (1978) with Burt Reynolds as Sonny Hooper, an ageing veteran doubling for lead actor Adam (Adam West) on a Bond-type thriller whilst also romancing Sally Field. The stunts are handsomely staged and occasionally body-flinching for the audience, a real testament to the potential of spectacle on the big screen which these sterling servants to make the stars look good do throughout.
It’s a fantastic blend of high comedy and concept and works all the way through. Also, keep watching through and til the end credits for some fantastic production footage and one or two surprises. A great pulsating rock soundtrack (and a karaoke performance by Blunt of Phil Collins’ AGAINST ALL ODDS (TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW) are another reason to watch.
Fun, Fun, Fun!
THE FALL GUY opens in Cinemas from May 2nd, 2024.
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