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MOVIE REVIEW

The Fall Guy

also known as “A kaszkadőr,” “Cascadorul,” “Dublör,” “El especialista,” “Kaskader,” “Kaskadér,” “Kaskadöör,” See more »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for action and violence, drug content and some strong language.

Reviewed by: Pamela Karpelenia
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Offensive to Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults Young-Adults Mature-Teens
Genre: Action Thriller Romance Adaptation
Length: 2 hr. 6 min.
Year of Release: 2024
USA Release: May 3, 2024 (wide release)
DVD: July 23, 2024
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Relevant Issues
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Use of illegal drugs

Cover-up of a serious crime

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Featuring Ryan GoslingColt Seavers, a seasoned action stuntman
Emily BluntJody Moreno, Colt’s ex-girlfriend and a first-time director
Aaron Taylor-JohnsonTom Ryder, a famous action film star
Winston DukeDan Tucker, Colt’s best friend and stunt coordinator
Hannah WaddinghamGail Meyer, Jody’s executive producer
Teresa PalmerIggy Starr, Tom’s girlfriend and co-star
Stephanie HsuAlma Milan, Tom’s personal assistant
Lee Majors … Himself (cameo)
Heather Thomas … Herself (cameo)
Jason Momoa … Himself (cameo)
See all »
Director David Leitch
Producer 87North
Entertainment 360
Ryan Gosling
Glen A. Larson
David Leitch
See all »
Distributor

“The Fall Guy,” is a feature film adaptation of the 1980s TV series of the same name created by Glen A. Larson, which starred Lee Majors.

The film opens with narration from the protagonist/hero Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), chronicling his life as a stuntman and the dangers of the job. He is living the dream, a dream-job, with his dream-girl, making movies… Until one day an incident takes him out of the stunt game, and he loses it all.

After months out of the movie business, Colt get a call to return and that one call sets us up for a wild ride of a action film.

Let’s begin with the plot, erratic at first, which is by design, then a clever well thought out storyline is revealed. The style and direction of film has a lot to do with the director David Leitch, a former stuntman himself and director of action films (“Bullet Train,” “Atomic Blonde,” “John Wick”).

This film comes across as a passion project. The director wants the viewer to see a side of the action films we often don’t really think about. The dangers of the stuntman and some of what that entails, and that message comes across well. A big reason for that is the acting of the two lead characters Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) and Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling). They are sublime together. The film is ultimately a comedy, but has a few dramatic moments and the leading actors truly excel. The remaining ensemble is cohesive and adds continuity.

Now to be objectionable content, there is enough to go around. There is drug use (with a drug trip scene), drinking and extreme violence and fighting, although minimal blood is shown. Offensive language includes sh**, a**, he**, and an instance of blasphemous language—“G*d-d*mn” and “Oh my g*d”—which are completely unnecessary and added nothing an otherwise not too offensive story and plot.

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” —Proverb 16:18

The film conveys an overall story of pride. Colt is broken gets a chance at redemption. This resonates with our nature of self redemption, doing it ourselves, but no matter what we do, our good works are not what redeems us. That comes from the death and resurrection of Jesus.

I found this film overall enjoyable, but objectionable content is distracting and ultimately brings the film down.

  • Violence: Very Heavy
  • Profane language: Very Heavy — Chr*st (1), J*sus (3-4), G*d d*mn (6), several other misuses of God’s name, H*ll
  • Vulgar/Crude language: Heavy — F-words (2) + FU-gestures (several), S-words (25-30), A**
  • Drugs/Alcohol: Moderately Heavy
  • Nudity: Moderate — male upper bodies, female cleavage and tight clothing
  • Sex: Moderate — no sex scenes; man comments to a woman: “You look good in anything. You look good in nothing;” flashbacks to past romantic cuddling and tender kissing; a passionate kiss; sensual dancing; brief romantic discussions; an adultery joke; flirting; innuendos; woman says something about a “bangin’ revenge bod”
  • Wokeism: Minor
  • Occult: None

Learn about DISCERNMENT—wisdom in making personal entertainment decisions

cinema tickets. ©  Alexey SmirnovEvery time you buy a movie ticket or buy or rent a video you are in effect casting a vote telling Hollywood, “I’ll pay for that. That’s what I want.” Read our article

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—I thought this was a super cute and fun action rom-com. It’s definitely not a family movie for little kids, but I saw it with a girlfriend. It was very witty, and it played on a lot of action stereotypes, which was kind of the point. The doofus gangsters and the getaways. It was kind of showing you a tongue-in-cheek action inside an action. This is not an action movie for people who are looking for serious action or plausibility. The reviewer here seemed to discredit the action, but it seemed like he didn’t really understand what they were doing with it.

Compared to most recent movies, it was very clean. There were a couple of GD words, but the F-word wasn’t rampant like it is so often these days. Really enjoyed this. Escapism at its finest!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Doralyn, age 46 (USA)

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Secular Movie Critics
…Ryan Gosling goes Pow! Splat! Ouch! …“The Fall Guy” is divertingly slick, playful nonsense. …
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
…Whenever Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt aren’t on screen together, the movie magic dissipates. …a bland, derivative action-comedy that’s never quite as funny or thrilling as it thinks it is…
Derek Smith, Slant
…unfunny, dreary nonsense… The unconvincing romantic scenes between him [Gosling] and the miscast Emily Blunt, which the script unwisely insists on prioritising over car chases, leave the viewer to wonder if the actors were filmed in separate locations, possibly on separate planes of existence, and then clumsily smudged together in postproduction. …
Tara Brady, The Irish Times
……a charming rom-com dragged down by an overstuffed plot… While the romantic comedy and set-bound gags work, the hunt for Ryder—and the cartoonishly inept gangsters and drug dealers that populate his underworld—compel less. …
John Fink, The Film Stage
…a goofy summer crowd-pleaser… A solid serving of popcorn entertainment. …and we could have done with a few more decent gags. …[3/5]
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (UK)
…A self-reflexive love letter to Hollywood stunt work, “The Fall Guy” is the perfect vehicle for Ryan Gosling’s comedic timing – not to mention, his romantic charm alongside an equally dialed-in Emily Blunt. …
Siddhant Adlakha, IGN
…The core problem facing the rather annoying new movie “The Fall Guy”…is that we can’t believe. Never for a second does the viewer buy that goofy Gosling is an in-demand stunt person who sets aside his ego for the betterment of a project. …
Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post