[SXSW 2024] THE FALL GUY -- Gosling's Charm Is Undeniable

Review by Jonathan Berk

L to R: Ryan Gosling is Colt Seavers and Emily Blunt is Judy Moreno in THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch.

​The Fall Guy is director David Leitch's love letter to stunt teams and action movies in general. Fans of Leitch's other films may not click with this one quite as much. Although there is still a good bit of action, there is a bit more romance. Still, if you love movies, laughs, and Ryan Gosling, you'll probably be into this film. 
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Colt (Gosling) is the stuntman for megastar Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). That is until an accident on set left Colt with a broken back and a broken heart due to too much pride. He's called back to a new movie where his love, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), has finally earned the opportunity to direct. It's not long after returning that he finds out Ryder is missing, and only he can track him down. 

Gosling continues to demonstrate his comedic chops. The Nice Guys was the first time he demonstrated what he could do with comedy, and, of course, he was hilarious in Barbie. In The Fall Guy, he gets a lot of room to be both awesome and funny. The self-deprecating style is present here as he is a great stuntman, but he's not invincible. The trailers for the movie seem to make the relationship between him and Blunt as if he was too cocky to commit. Fortunately, that's not at all the way their relationship connects. 

Colt's humility is evident in the early moments of the film before the accident that derails his career. He is in the wrong about how the relationship plays out. However, he truly cares about her, which sets up a solid rom-com push-pull relationship for the rest of the film. The moments when Jody finds out that Colt is working on her new space epic are quite funny. Of course, if you don't like rom-coms, you may find these scenes a little tiresome as buffers to the action ones. ​

L to R: Emily Blunt is Judy Moreno and Ryan Gosling is Colt Seavers in THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch.

There are plenty of action moments, some of which are rather innovative. The nightclub fight scene allows Leitch to explore some effect-driven fight choreography and a vibrant neon color palette. Many of the stunts are throwbacks in style and about other shows or movies. Gosling wears a jacket from one former production, on which his character was a stuntman, and references a particular stunt. There is a solid variety, and the execution is undeniable. 

Winston Duke, Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu, and Teresa Palmer round out the cast. They all get some really solid scenes that mostly work around Gosling. Many stunt performers and crew members also get to do something on screen. 
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The Fall Guy is great popcorn entertainment. It's a movie made by people who love movies for people who also love movies. The story is fine, and the pieces all fit. There is probably room to trim some elements down and tighten up the overall narrative, but it's still a good time. 

The Fall Guy premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, which is running from March 8-16 in Austin, TX. 

Rating: 4/5