Is ‘Fall Guy’ the action blockbuster of the summer? | See It or Skip It Reviews
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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) — The Summer movie season is starting off with a bang, but will The Fall Guy stick the landing or will it crash and burn? ABC4 Film Critic Patrick Beatty has that review as well as reviews on the new Anne Hathaway Romantic Comedy, a special Star Wars May the 4th Review, and Jerry Seinfeld’s Pop-Tart film!
The Fall Guy
Where to Watch: Theaters
Directed By:
David Leitch
Written By:
Drew Pearce, Glen A. Larson
Starring:
Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke
Genre:
Action, Comedy, Drama
Rated PG-13
All media courtesy of Universal Pictures
Ryan Gosling plays a Stuntman Colt Seavers who was gravely injured and out of work after a stunt gone wrong. He’s brought back into the scene by a former girlfriend now turned big-time director Jody Moreno played by Emily Blunt making her debut film. As they start to dissect what went wrong in their relationship, Colt is tasked by the film producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) to help her find the film’s hapless narcissistic star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) before the production is shut down.
This is a love letter to the stunt community and directed by David Leitch, who himself was a former stuntman who’s made incredible action films like John Wick, Atomic Blonde, and Deadpool 2. The stunt community has not gotten due recognition since the beginning of Hollywood, and I loved this story and how they put them front and center.
On the surface, it’s a very sweet love story with Gosling and Blunt, but it is crammed with real-life stunts that in some cases even broke world records right before our eyes. I loved seeing all the work put into the action and the explosions, while also keeping true to the story. It’s hilariously written, and the chemistry between Gosling and Blunt is crackling.
If anything, I hope this film displays to the general audience just how much stunt people do to make you love the action stars of cinema and call for that to be recognized in the next Academy Awards by adding a “Stunts” category to the ballot. It’s long past due, and the case made with ‘The Fall Guy’ makes it indisputable.
Take your family and friends to the theaters to see this, It’s a perfect blockbuster, and one I would highly recommend to everyone.
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Unfrosted
Where to Watch: Netflix
Directed By:
Jerry Seinfeld
Written By:
Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Feresten, Andy Robin
Starring:
Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, Melissa McCarthy Chris Rickett
Genre:
Biography, Comedy
Rated PG-13
All media courtesy of Netflix
Jerry Seinfeld takes the director chair with a story about the creation of the Pop Tart, and maybe 5% of the moments end up being true. It’s a competition between Post and Kellogs for who can bring their similar items to the market faster, crowning that company as the king of market sales.
The comedy is incredibly Seinfeld-esque, but heavily mixed in with humor that is silly, often ridiculous, but still worked for me. If anyone was hoping to learn the true story about how the Pop Tart came to be this is absolutely not the film to watch. It isn’t interested in that story, it’s interested in being funny with no restrictions to historical accuracy.
The cast are all fine in their roles and do their part in holding the film up, aside from a miscast of Amy Schumer who seems more aloof and unaware of what film she’s in. I’m seeing some critics already panning the film, calling it one of the worst films of the year but I don’t see that here. Is it the ‘Weird: The Al Yankovich Story’ or business biopics? No, but it certainly wants to be.
Overall I wasn’t the biggest fan, but I also don’t feel like I wasted my time watching this. It’s fun and mildly funny, and if you’ve got the time on the weekend it may be worth checking out.
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Star Wars: Tales of the Empire
Where to Watch: Disney +
Directed By:
Written By:
Dave Filoni
Starring:
Jason Isaacs, Meredith Salenger, Rya Kihlstedt, Lars Mikkelsen, Diana Lee Inosanto, Matthew Wood
Genre:
Animation, Short, Action
Rated TV-PG
All media courtesy of Walt Disney Studios
A quick and easy watch from Star Wars maestro Dave Filoni will arrive on May 4th, and in this 6-episode animated short series, we get a look at two characters’ journey into the dark side of the force.
I was excited by the trailer and clips that were released but ultimately did not feel like this was what was sold to us and wanted more. I would be more forgiving if we weren’t trying to tie in everything with another Star Wars property, or setup after setup leading to having to watch multiple other shows to make sense of what’s happening, but Tales of the Empire insists on focusing on the wrong things.
I had hoped for a much broader exploration, and more depth of returning characters that we know and might not have been as familiar with their backstories. For example, General Grievous who first appeared in The Clone Wars, and then in the third Star Wars prequel film “Revenge of the Sith.”
Overall if you have seen every Star Wars property in the galaxy this may be a fun quick watch for you. While it was quick for me, I felt nothing for the stories and was hoping for anything to bring me into the world.
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The Idea of You
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Directed By:
Michael Showalter
Written By:
Robinne Lee, Michael Showalter, Jennifer Westfeldt
Starring:
Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine, Ella Rubin
Genre:
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rated R
All media courtesy of Prime Video
When 40-year-old Solène takes her daughter to a concert for one of the hottest boy bands in the world, she winds up falling head-over-heels for the 24-year-old lead singer Hayes Campbell. However, it’s met with criticism not only for the age gap but for what stardom can do to her family. Will their love be enough to keep them together through the pressure?
Romantic comedies may be officially back and who better to help usher in the new era than the great Anne Hathaway? She continues to shine in all her performances and with this finds a vulnerability in being honest and open with her feelings. Her co-star Nicholas Galitzine pairs well with her, giving great on-screen chemistry and a relationship that feels grounded and honest.
There’s a lot to say about the subtext in this movie, and while I buy the relationship I feel like the script is very surface-level in how it chooses to explore the themes of relationships and age. The dialogue is very simple and feels like it could be improvised by the cast. The 1-hour 55-minute runtime could be cut down a half hour and the films would be better for it, but still, if you love this genre I wouldn’t let it stop you from checking this out. I don’t think I would ever give it a second watch, but for a Prime Video streaming film this is one you could have a good time with.
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