“The Fall Guy,” starring Canadian actor Ryan Gosling and British actress Emily Blunt, was released on May 3 and pays homage to Hollywood’s stunt community. The premise of the film was inspired by the ’80s television series “The Fall Guy” starring American actor Lee Majors as Colt Seavers, who was a stuntman with a second job as a bounty hunter.
The movie has a unique movie-in-movie style with ironic parallels between the movie itself and “MetalStorm,” the fictional movie being made within “The Fall Guy.” “MetalStorm” is about an alien, Alienana, and a human, Space Cowboy, who fall in love but don’t let the relationship develop because they are unsure about the authenticity of it. This plotline mirrors the initial relationship between “The Fall Guy” protagonist and “MetalStorm” stuntman Colt Seavers (Gosling) and “MetalStorm” director who is also Colt’s ex-girlfriend Jody Moreno (Blunt). The dramatic irony of the characters talking about situations in “MetalStorm” in ways that reflect their own situation contributes greatly to the humor of the film.
There are also moments where the two movies merge and break the fourth wall. For example, when Jody calls Colt to ask about the idea of having a split-screen movie, the viewer’s screen turns into a split screen. She likes the idea of having a physical divide between Alienana and Space Cowboy, mirroring the divide between her and Colt witnessed by the audience, which makes it extremely comedic.
Unique movie-in-movie style with ironic parallels…
The movie took a twist from the humorous romantic dilemma between Colt and Jody with a second storyline of Colt getting caught up in a mystery of finding the missing lead actor, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Although the plot evolved quite quickly, jumping from one scene to another, it still met its expectations as a comedic and action-filled movie. The many plot twists keep the audience engaged and eager to find out more.
Regarding pacing, it was a bit hard to keep up with the transitions between Colt’s romantic moments with Jody and his attempts to find clues about Tom Ryder’s disappearance. However, it was interesting to jump back-and-forth when Colt was using his stunt skills to fight with the bad guys.
The characters and actors furthered the movie’s acknowledgment of the stunt community and the risks they undergo to provide entertainment. Colt holds up a thumbs-up after every stunt to signal he is alive. His strength while crashing through windows and jumping off helicopters is contrasted with weaker moments where he ponders about his relationship with Jody, a poignant portrayal of the extent of stuntmen’s strength. The movie also touched on societal issues, such as the incorporation of new artificial intelligence technology in the production of “MetalStorm” to hint at the dangerous consequences AI could possess.
Being able to see how stuntmen do their job garners appreciation for the risks they undergo for a successful movie production. While some parts of the movie were a bit fast-paced and hard to catch up with, the unique plotline and great acting earns it a solid 4.5 out of five stars.
