In a scene from The Fall Guy, the frame splits into two halves. On one side of the screen is Colt (played by a ‘Kenergetic’ Ryan Gosling). Colt is a stuntman on the set of a fictional Hollywood film ‘Metalstorm’ in which aliens invade the earth and clash with the cowboys. Colt (who is wearing the brightest neon overcoat to have ever existed) asks if the cowboy and the alien will end up together in the film. On the other side of the screen is Jody (played by a goofy Emily Blunt), the director of Metalstorm who is on call with Colt, conversing with him about the future of their relationship (and the fate of the alien and the cowboy).
The Fall Guy Overview
The producer of this fictional film is Gail (Hannah Waddingham). She is being pressured by the studio to give the story a ‘happy ending’ but Jody (the director) isn’t too convinced. “This ‘love conquers all’ thing….I am not buying it”, she says. Jody wants the third act of the film to have a realistic ending where the alien and cowboy (by effect, she and Colt) don’t end up together.
It is the meta moments like the one described above that make director David Leitch’s film an intriguing watch. The film is as much a commentary on Hollywood—the domineering studios, safety violations and toxicity on film sets—as it is a true-blue romantic comedy where the leads may or may not end up together in the third act.
The Fall Guy Plot
An offbeat ‘movie within a movie’ premise shows a stuntman falling in love with the director—an unlikely match that mirrors the script of the film which is being shot and written in real-time. The self-referential bits in the film are a breath of fresh air. The writing is clever as it can be. In one scene, Colt listens to Taylor Swift’s All Too Well (Taylor’s Version) and cries, thinking about his freak accident and the eventual separation from Jody. The scene is giving major Kenergy.
The comedic punches are very 2000s rom-com coded—think What Happens In Vegas (2008), The Proposal (2009) or Friends With Benefits (2011). Much like the quintessential Hollywood rom-com, The Fall Guy plays around with the ‘will they, won’t they’ trope but does so in a manner which is fresh and never explored before.
The Fall Guy Writing And Performances
Ryan Gosling is near perfect as Colt, a stuntman who cuts a pathetic figure on set. The actor of the film Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) isn’t too happy with how Colt’s jawline (which isn’t too sharp) is ruining his scenes. Somewhere in these arcs is commentary on the great risk that the stuntmen take to film the much-loved action movies but rarely get the appreciation they deserve.
The humiliating treatment Colt is subjected to (think being lit on fire thrice, being forced to perform a stunt which can jeopardize his life and safety) makes you want to root for him—even though he comes across as a loser initially. There is something inherently adorable about Colt and his delusional belief that he and Jody can end up together. Besides this, Colt really is the fall guy. He is taking the fall for not just the douchey action star of the film but the crew itself, which also makes you feel for him.
The Fall Guy: What Works, What Doesn’t
Besides the meta moments, what works in the film is the comedic punches which are original and quite tongue-in-cheek. The plot is weak on occasions—I was wondering why Colt would go to such great lengths to save Ryder, that too based on hearsay from Gail, who doesn’t have the best track record of being honest.
Perhaps that is how Colt is wired. He is gullible, goofy, irreverent, but worth rooting for. The Fall Guy might just be the 2000s rom-com renaissance we have been waiting for all this while. It is the perfect watch if you are looking for some frivolous, silly fun on a Friday night.
The Fall Guy will premiere on BookMyShow Stream June 14 onwards.
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