The Stream: Annoying devices further an already obvious plot.

The Big Screen: Ryan Gosling, of course, and awesome stunts!

The Final Bill: A high-energy Ryan Gosling performance and cool action sequences make up for a lame story.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: David Leitch
Writers: Drew Pearce
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke
Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance
Rating: PG-13 for action and violence, drug content and some strong language.
Runtime: 2 hours 1 minute
Production Companies: 87North, Entertainment 360, Universal Pictures, The South Australian Film Corporation
Platform: In theaters May 3, 2024
Notable Trailers: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Despicable Me 4, Borderlands

What’s up, Streamers!?! Last summer, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt burned up the box office with their own summer blockbusters – Barbie and Oppenheimer, respectively. 2023 was pretty good for both of them. This year, they have teamed up for the first movie of the “summer,” The Fall Guy. The promotion for this action flick has been out of control. Here’s how The Fall Guy lands.

Very loosely based on the 1980s television series of the same name, The Fall Guy, directed by David Leitch, tells the story of Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), a Hollywood stuntman, who works as a stunt double for a famous action star, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) until he gets sidelined by an injury. After he’s recovered, Colt jumps at the opportunity to rekindle a fizzled relationship with the director of Ryder’s new movie, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), by coming out of retirement and being Ryder’s stunt double once again. When Ryder goes missing, Colt must both fill in for him in the movie and find the star before anyone notices he’s gone. Explosions, car chases and karaoke hijinks ensue.

The Fall Guy is the definition of a summer blockbuster. It has action. It has comedy. It has romance. It has epic needle drops and a big song in the middle. It is carried by an outstanding and charismatic performance by Ryan Gosling, who keeps proving that he’s a gifted comedian. The movie’s greatest strengths are Gosling, of course, but also the remarkable action sequences and incredible stunt work that is done throughout. This movie is about a stuntman, so the stunt work better be top notch; and it is. The movie doesn’t waste any time throwing the audience into big set pieces that will be memorable and get your blood pumping. There are so many explosions, pyrotechnics, fights and car chases your head will spin.

Like I said, Gosling is awesome. He is not only believable in the action moments, but he also gets to be tender in his fledgling romance with Emily Blunt’s character. Gosling deftly handles the comedic moments, and he’s probably the funniest part of the movie. Actually, Winston Duke, Hannah Waddingham and Aaron Taylor-Johnson all get moments to shine and almost match the heights of what Gosling in bringing. Unfortunately, Emily Blunt feels a bit sidelined. Gosling overshadows her because her character doesn’t get much to do. She’s charming and has decent chemistry with Gosling, but the romance seems perfunctory.

My last note is that the story is ridiculous. There is a moment in this movie that makes me so annoyed and frustrated because characters do things that make no sense. The Fall Guy is lucky that it has both Gosling and awesome action sequences to cover up the dumb plot of this movie. Ugh!

Ultimately, The Fall Guy is a very fun movie, incredibly entertaining and buoyed by another great performance by Ryan Gosling. The action sequences in the movie are excellent and keep you on the edge of your seat. The great parts of this movie are enough to make up for the frustrating plot and the lackluster romance with Emily Blunt. Definitely catch this movie in a theater with a big box of popcorn.