Three Reasons Why ‘The Fall Guy’ Is the Perfect Summer Blockbuster

Written by Juanita ‘Obi-Juan’ Bonner

Ryan Gosling is Colt Seavers in THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch. (Photo Courtesy of Eric Laciste/Universal Pictures.)

Caution: This article contains minor spoilers for the motion picture, ‘The Fall Guy’.
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As the summer movie blockbuster season kicks into high gear. I wanted to take a moment to discuss The Fall Guy (Universal Pictures; 2024). A film that, for me, has all the elements a true summer blockbuster needs to make it worth your while. So, grab your popcorn and settle in while we look at three reasons why The Fall Guy is the perfect summer blockbuster.

Nostalgia Meets Meta
Billed as an action comedy, The Fall Guy is loosely based on the TV series of the same name (20th Century Fox Television; 1981-1986). Of course, we see Easter eggs paying homage to this series. Including our lead – Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) – who shares his name with the Lee Majors lead of the 80s. Colt also drives one of the same brown and gold GMC K-2500 Sierra pickups as his 80s counterpart. There’s even a newer version noted to be “product placement.” *NICE!* Even if you’re just hearing about this television series for the first time, one must admit that as far as nostalgia goes, this is excellent!! Plus, there’s a mid-credit cameo by Majors himself. Along with Heather Thomas, who also starred in the series. *AWESOME!*

Tying even more to the 80s series, Gosling’s character ends up smack dab in the middle of a murder mystery. Not quite the same as Lee Major’s character, who plays a stunt man by day and a bounty hunter by night. Still, the film does a fantastic job of marrying the two by setting Gosling’s Colt Seavers on the hunt for answers.

Beyond the OG series, we are taken into an extremely meta environment as we’re watching a movie of people making a movie wrapped inside a whodunit crime caper. There are constant film references. Jokes on and about the industry. Name drops and more. With plenty of self-deprecation, it never feels over the top. It’s cheesy in all the right places. As well as generally fast paced and downright hilarious throughout. And let’s not forget some banging music with the likes of Kiss, AC/DC, Taylor Swift, Phil Collins and more! *HECK YEAH*

With all that going for it, you’d think it would be enough. Yet… one of the biggest things to sell this film is character dynamics. Of which, we see in spades!!

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L to R: Ryan Gosling is Colt Seavers and Emily Blunt is Judy Moreno in THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch. (Photo Courtesy of Universal Pictures.)

Character Chemistry
Gosling’s love interest – Jody Moreno – played by the beautifully talented Emily Blunt, is the flawless yin to Colt’s yang. Their chemistry is electric and is an absolute joy to watch. A love affair gone wrong after Seavers’ suffers an injury during a massive stunt. The audience watches as the pair are suddenly thrust together once again on the set of Jody’s new movie Metalstorm… HAHAHA, that name!! Adding the romance element to an action comedy isn’t usually done in such bold fashion. But writer Drew Pearce (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation; Paramount Pictures – 2015), weaves all three elements splendidly and I LOVE IT!! Both Gosling and Blunt are at the top of their comedic game here and their romantic harmony shines bright! Simply put, The Fall Guy is surprisingly a PURE romcom (*YEP!!) wrapped inside an action movie which was something I didn’t even know I needed… LOL!!
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Though I could go on and on about our leads, they aren’t the only ones with enigmatic chemistry. Many of the other characters blend very well across the film. Including Colt’s best friend and Metalstorm’s stunt coordinator Dan Tucker (Winston Duke). They are hysterical together and truly come across as though they’ve been friends for years. We also see very strong performances from Aaron Taylor-Johnson who plays Tom Ryder. A huge action star and a ridiculously silly – albeit somewhat true –parody of what we see in the industry today. Hannah Waddingham as Ryder’s manager and the producer of Metalstorm, is the textbook eyeroll as an industry giant whose main concerns are money and image… OF COURSE!! Another fun character is Ryder’s personal assistant Alma Milan (Stephanie Hsu) who’s brilliant against Gosling’s seemingly aloof yet ultimately witty portrayal. Finally, many of the movie within the movie characters as well as those in pursuit of Seavers round out a powerhouse team of talent and all of them bring the laughs throughout. Though, there’s one more thing that makes this film blockbuster material… oh, the wonderful stunts!!

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Ryan Gosling is Colt Seavers in THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch. (Photo Courtesy of Universal Pictures.)

A Love Letter to the Stunt Community
Directed by David Leitch, an actual stunt performer himself, The Fall Guy is literally a love letter to the stunt community. And boy does it live up to this homage. Having directed such huge hits as John Wick – uncredited (Summit Entertainment; 2014), Atomic Blonde (Focus Features; 2017) and Deadpool 2 (20th Century Fox; 2018), Leitch knows EXACTLY what goes into the bones of an action movie. Couple this with his stunt background, he knows even more what it takes to pull off mesmerizing over the top action sequences. Of which, The Fall Guy, is jam-packed. *DAMN STRAIGHT* Including, at 8.5 rolls, breaking the Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls in a car. Completed by Logan Holiday, this feat is spectacular to watch. *AWESOME!!* As are the fight scenes, car chases, “on-set” action, and more.
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It’s also worth noting that those in the stunt industry are often overlooked when it comes to praise for any given film. The Fall Guy aims to change that by showing us just how much stunts and those who perform them matter. As it stands now, awards such as The Oscars, do not recognize stunts as a category and it’s high time that changes!! #OscarsForStunts *HECK YEAH!!*

Finally, this amazing love letter is introduced by Leitch and Gosling in a small, yet comical, prologue which kicks off the fun and let’s the viewer know that we’re in for a treat. From there, the laughs, action, stunts and chemistry build into a silly and glorious climax that give us – the viewer – exactly what we want… EVERYTHING!!

Ticking all the megahit boxes can be difficult, but with a mix of action, comedy, romance and meta overload, The Fall Guy is a hoot and a half. It brings all the feels and then some!! *BIG GRIN* And though it’s currently available to stream, I encourage any movie fan to hit the theatres on this one. For The Fall Guy is, as they say… a good time at the movies… and TRULY IS the perfect summer blockbuster… and you should see it if it is still available in your area!!

Until next time.

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