The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt has turned out to be one of the more fun movies of 2024. I did not expect the movie to be fun, expected it to be a dumb movie with a lot of big action sequences since the main character is a stuntman. And it does have a lot of great action sequences, but if the Fall Guy is anything… It’s a great ode to the ’80s action movies we still love today. The kind of movies that don’t have to have an original plot or any deep meaning, they’re just fun with a lot of good comedy and action. The Fall Guy doesn’t even really resemble the original ads TV series except for character’s names and the original GMC truck. That’s okay, we don’t really need a movie about stuntman becoming bounty hunters. The concept was great for the original TV show, but a movie doesn’t necessarily need to imitate its original source material to still be good. If you know me, I’m not a fan of remakes, but I do like a good reimagining of a classic story. I certainly enjoyed Michael Mann’s take on the Miami Vice TV show. I wasn’t really a fan of The Dukes of Hazzard movie compared to the original show although the movie did have its moments. The point is, the Fall Guy doesn’t need to be exactly like the original show… It just needed to be a fun action movie where a stuntman saves the day and it totally succeeded! I was pleasantly surprised by how good the movie turned out to be.

The basic story follows a stuntman by the name of Colt Seavers who after a tragic stuntman accident is called back into action one last time to help save his former loves movie by helping her get the big shot that will define the movie. He has been the stunt doubled to number one actor in the world and now is involved in a murder plot that not only threatens to derail the movie that could make his former girlfriend’s career, but also has to find out why the number one actor in the world has disappeared. Ryan Gosling does a great job as Colt Seavers. He certainly has a different take on the original character. It certainly fits for this kind of movie. Admittedly, there are times that Ryan Gosling slips into the Ken role from the Barbie movie, but overall, he gives a pretty good performance that not only gives the audience a lot of laughs but makes him out to be a pretty good action star. Hannah Waddingham has the best performance throughout the movie. I will not give away any spoilers, but she is funny and diabolical, and steals every scene that she’s in. The best thing about this movie and what makes it work is the comedy. While it shows love for over-the-top action movies that we still watch today, it’s also a bit of a satire towards those kinds of movies with big speeches and unbelievable action that makes it hard to suspend disbelief. Plus, there are ton of references not only to the original Fall Guy show, but a lot of ’80s movies in general, and stuff from Lee  Majors career who played the original Colt Seavers in the Fall Guy tv show. But this film doesn’t take itself too seriously and that’s what makes it great. Unlike any of the Fast and the Furious movies, the Fall Guy knows what kind of movie it is and just wants the audience to have a good time.

The only thing that really drags this movie down is it doesn’t know what kind of movie is going to be. There are times it feels like this is going to be a great detective story to help save a movie and then it jumps back to the action comedy homage to the 80s that it’s desperately trying to be while cramming a love story down our throats in the middle of all the action. The love story is not the problem, it’s satirical even if it’s not believable. It’s great that they kind of make fun of Julia Roberts romantic comedies. As I said the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously and that’s what it has going for it.

But I also feel like that times the movie is trying to be serious when it doesn’t need to be. It’s a ridiculous movie and that’s okay because it’s funny and it entertains just like a good action-comedy should do. But one of the biggest problems I have is sometimes the movie does get a little uneven between the big action scenes and the main character just being a stuntman as if being a stuntman is all he needs to save the day. Argyle is another great movie that didn’t take itself too seriously and kind of made fun of romantic thrillers. It did for those kinds of movies that The Fall Guy is doing for action-comedy detective stories just like the ones we loved back in the ’80s with Beverly hills cop or Tango and Cash. There are certainly a few scenes that try to make this movie more dramatic than it should be. The movie at times is a little uneven, but the comedy makes up for it especially the scenes with the stunt dog! The Fall Guy may not be anything like the original TV show, but its a fun movie that will keep you laughing until the end. The cast is great, the cameos are even better, and on the whole, the movie knocks it out of the park when it comes to just a fun summer popcorn flick. When the story sticks with satire, it’s firing on all cylinders. The only time it starts to fail is when it gets too dramatic, but everything comes together by the end of the movie. And The Fall Guy ends on a perfect note with a great cameo by Lee Majors… The original Fall Guy…. That’s not really a spoiler since Imdb.com lists him in the movie. I can’t believe I like this movie as much as I do, but the best movies are always the ones you are surprised by in a good way. The Fall Guy is worth seeing in the theater, even if you just get a ticket for a matinee!