{"id":156013,"date":"2024-04-27T10:59:32","date_gmt":"2024-04-27T00:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=156013"},"modified":"2024-04-27T10:59:32","modified_gmt":"2024-04-27T00:59:32","slug":"the-fall-guy-movie-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/the-fall-guy-movie-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fall Guy – movie review"},"content":{"rendered":"

The romantic comedy The Fall Guy delivers plenty of action, hairy scenes and hijinks.<\/p>\n

Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) loves his job and his life. He\u2019s a noted movie stuntman and body double for arrogant action star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). More than that, Seavers is head-over-heels for camera operator Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), who aspires to be a director. She feels the same way about him. As he says, he\u2019s working with his dream girl on a dream job. And, of course, they love the moments they steal away together.<\/p>\n

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But Ryder doesn\u2019t like to see Seavers hog the limelight, and involves re-shooting scenes. Producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) indulges Ryder\u2019s quirks, recognising the money to be made. And then, on one re-shoot, everything goes horribly wrong. A free-fall ends tragically, with Seavers breaking his back. That puts him in a dark place. He pushes Moreno away, even though she wants to be there for him.<\/p>\n

Eighteen months on, in a dead-end job parking cars for a living, he receives an unexpected call from Meyer. She tells him that Moreno is making her first movie \u2013 a sci-fi fantasy \u2013 and wants Seavers back on set \u2013 this time in Sydney. Anyone else would say \u201cno\u201d, but Seavers isn\u2019t anyone else. In fact, Meyer lied to Seavers about Moreno\u2019s wishes \u2013 she had no idea Meyer was calling Seavers.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Tom Ryder (who\u2019s starring in Moreno\u2019s movie) has fallen in with a rough crowd and has gone missing. Meyer is anxious to track him down before the movie goes belly-up. That becomes Seavers\u2019 job, alongside shooting stunt scenes and winning back Moreno\u2019s broken trust \u2026 and heart. But instead of shooting blanks the bad guys mean business.<\/p>\n

At the helm of The Fall Guy is former real life stuntman David Leitch (Bullet Train<\/a>). The script is from screenwriter Drew Pearce, based on The Fall Guy television series (1981-86), which starred Lee Majors as Colt Seavers.<\/p>\n

The key to the movie is orchestrated mayhem. Explosions, car chases and roll overs are par for the course and it all looks impressive. Overlaying it is good natured nonsense \u2026 and a tribute to the unsung heroes of Hollywood, the stunt performers. Pearce\u2019s script provides no shortage of in-jokes referencing other movies. Some of the stunts in this action-heavy movie are truly spectacular.<\/p>\n