Fall Guy (2024)

This is a lovely confection that combines action with romance, with a heavy theme--someone is dead and someone else is missing--and a light hearted undertone. I love both Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling--this is not the deepest characters they have played, but then again, they came off a year of promoting Barbenhiemer, and maybe they just needed a break. It is a movie designed to entertain above all else. It stands out from the crowd as a movie where you don't need to take notes or have seen the ones that came before it. Ryan Gosling plays Colt Seavers, a stunt double who had a bad accident and retreated into himself--until he was called back into action by "the one who got away" (turns out it wasn't her, but that's for you to find out when you see it). Gosling has such an easy-going charm that makes it hard not to smile when he is on screen. I read a review that accentuated this point, that when he was watching the Oscars and Gosling was singing “I’m Just Ken”, the man sitting next to him said, “I’m almost annoyed at how that guy can do anything.” Yes. That is it, and this movie is all about how fun that can feel. A lot goes wrong before it goes right, there are tons of stunts, because Colt is a stunt man, and so is the director, and it all gets wrapped up in a neat bow at the end. Not one for the ages, but a crowd pleaser for both genders.