‘The Fall Guy’ review round-up: Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt star in ‘funny, sexy’ and ‘undeniably fun adventure’

Vincent Mandile
·4 min read
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Following a buzz-worthy premiere at this year’s SXSW Festival, Universal Pictures released “The Fall Guy” nationwide on May 3. The film directed by David Leitch and written by Drew Pearce is loosely based on the 1980s TV series about stunt performers. Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, a stuntman working on his ex-girlfriend’s (Emily Blunt) directorial debut action film, only to find himself involved in a conspiracy surrounding the film’s lead actor.

Early reviews for the action comedy have been overwhelmingly positive. It holds fresh at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics consensus reading, “With action, comedy, romance, and a pair of marvelously matched stars, ‘The Fall Guy’ might be the rare mainstream movie with something to entertain everyone.” Read our full review round-up below.

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Adrian Horton of The Guardian writes, “’The Fall Guy,’ based on the 80s TV series, is an utterly charming, unpretentious rebuttal to the encroachment of digital effects in life and film (all due respect to VFX artists). It’s a celebration of blockbuster movies and their illusions of grandeur made by dozens and dozens of people working in concert, mostly below the line, and specifically the under-appreciated work of stunt doubles. It’s also just a consistently good time, two hours of zingers with impeccable timing, two bona fide movie stars with palpable chemistry, several enjoyably meta send-ups of the business and, of course, plenty of crazy stunts.”

Robert Daniels of Screen International notes, “Crowd-pleasing blockbusters like ‘The Fall Guy’ once fueled Hollywood. Tinseltown used to pride itself on casting the widest ensembles, igniting the biggest explosions, and churning out new larger-than-life heroes in ever-more extravagant stories. Leitch’s latest film, a big screen adaptation of Glen A Larson’s TV series, checks all of those boxes — particularly for viewers who haven’t had Kenough of Gosling. Set for release in the UK on May 2 and the US on May 3, ‘The Fall Guy’ is a swooning, undeniably fun adventure primed to kick off the summer season in a big way, even if the pairing of Gosling with Emily Blunt as romantic foil leaves much to be desired.” 

SEE ‘The Fall Guy’ trailer: Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt team up for rollicking action comedy [Watch]

Dan Bayer of Next Best Picture praises the film, stating, “Movies about making movies need to have movie stars to work, and Gosling and Blunt are happy to oblige, making ‘The Fall Guy’ a cracking example of what Hollywood does best.” Adding, “Gosling and Blunt have similar personas onscreen, making their pairing feel natural, and their combined charisma makes it impossible to look away from the screen. They’re a delight to watch, with Blunt making such excellent comedic use of a prop alien hand as she’s talking to Colt on the phone that it would completely undercut the romance if not for the fact that this nonchalantly silly tone fits right in line with Blunt’s personality. The film’s tone perfectly aligns with the personas of its stars, so much so that we are watching Blunt and Gosling as much as we are watching Jody and Colt, which is practically the definition of what movie stars do.”

Peter Debruge of Variety says, “’The Fall Guy’ is funny, it’s sexy, and it features the boy-toy version of ‘Barbie’ scene-stealer Ryan Gosling — which is to say, this time around, he embodies the ultimate action figure.” Continuing, “Screenwriter Drew Pearce has crafted a crackling 21st-century screwball romance between Gosling and Blunt’s characters at the center of an epic stunt spectacular. Visually, Leitch and DP Jonathan Sela make the whole endeavor look so glossy, you’d think you were watching a feature-length Super Bowl commercial. We’re talking crisp, meticulously lit sequences in which the colors pop, sparks literally fly and even the below-the-line characters look like … well, movie stars.”

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