the Fall Guy

May 17 – 23

7 pm nightly
1:30 Sunday Matinée
2024 ‧ Action / Comedy / Drama
2h 5m

The Fall Guy is a snappy, sharp, sexy screwball action romance. Those who saw Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s skit at the 2024 Academy Awards, introducing a tribute to the stunt community, will surely have had their appetites whetted for The Fall Guy. A contemporary reboot of the 1980s TV series, in which Lee Majors played a stuntman who moonlights as a bounty hunter, this buzzy action-comedy fizzes largely thanks to the easy-on-the-eye chemistry that Gosling and Blunt showed on Oscar night. On this evidence, they could – and should – form an ongoing double act.

Charming performances from Gosling and Blunt, coupled with their strong chemistry, make The Fall Guy a true delight. Gosling gets to exercise his comedic chops again here, channeling bits of Barbie‘s Ken in Colt. He pulls audiences close to the emotionally reserved stuntman who’d rather reach for a movie quote than express himself. Blunt not only flexes her own comedy muscles, she also stretches her character, preventing frenzied creative Jody from becoming too one-note. Some of the funniest scenes in The Fall Guy involve the two confronting issues in their relationship under the pretense of discussing Jody’s screenplay.

The Gos and Blunt aren’t the only perfect match, meanwhile, with the movie directed by former stuntman David Leitch (Atomic Blonde). The filmmaker brings his skill set to all the action sequences, particularly a superb speedboat chase through Sydney Harbour, but he also sharpens the penchant for comedy he showed with Deadpool 2. On this evidence, he deserves to fully break out of the action-director mold. The Fall Guy is an effervescent comedy that truly flies. Finally, those stunning stuntmen have a film to call their own. Between car chases and psychedelic drug-influenced fights, Colt also gains a greater understanding of himself and his emotions. What ultimately makes The Fall Guy a rare good time among big-budget studio products is its genuine heart.