Previously on The Fall Guy... A Review
I did get to see Ryan Gosling's popcorn fodder on opening night!
Previously on "Michael Bridgett's Media Mix-Up..."
So Hollywood did something I don’t think I've seen them do in a while. They're going to make a film that's based on an 80s television show. Actually, they do that all the time, but this one seems different. The Fall Guy was a TV show I remember watching as a kid, but couldn’t remember anything other than the end of the theme song.
"Cuz’ I'm the unknown stuntman, that makes Eastwood look so fine."
It's the first day of Blockbuster season!
Hollywood thinks they know what many of us want from our movies. It’s hard to believe how correct they were this time. We want confident actors flirting with us as much as they flirt with each other. We want an action movie that’s violent but not too violent. Gunshots are fine, as long as they don’t kill anyone but you’re allowed one dead body if you tell us who did it. The Fall Fuy (2024) does exactly what the old show used to do. It shows love to all the guys doing all the work to make the action movies we watch so fine.
Anytime we reviewers talk about the amount of violence in a movie or how awesome a scene is, we usually take the perspective of the actor doing it rather than the team behind the actor that makes it possible. What we see isn’t how movies work. Movies work from what we don’t see. That’s the magic! All your Keanus, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnsons, and Vin Diesels have whole teams supporting every dangerous move they make.
Some of these guys do a lot of their own stunts and being an actor is hard for a variety of reasons. However, for every scene in John Wick, every time The Rock flexes a cast off his arm and fires a Gatling gun in the middle of Los Angeles, and every fight Vin Diesel has with Jason Statham, there are stunt actors to make sure these guys don't look like shit to the viewers. I even heard The Rock, Vin Diesel, and Jason Statham allegedly have contracts that dictate when, where, and how they can lose fights. Actors have brands to protect, and that can be extremely difficult. It’s even more difficult if you murder someone.
The Fall Guy takes that truth of movie making and lays out a plot where we get to see all the beautiful people we're used to being a part of the backstage action. Stunt people know a whole lot about a whole lot. They do pyro and operate gadgets. They're usually the toughest guys on the set, and The Fall Guy proves that to us by beating the shit out of Ryan Gosling (and his stuntman) for the whole film.
I love hilarious and fun action movies. I go down to the Alamo Drafthouse, get my ticket, put my feet up in the recliner, and absorb the madcap action I'm promised. I know what's going to happen. I know who's going to win. I know none of my favorite characters are going to die. All I need to know is how they're going to do it. Once I find out early on, I get to sit back and appreciate the ride. I knew I was going write this, but wasn’t sitting around worrying about it. I just got into the love and laughter this film brought out in me.
In my opinion (all these bits are my opinion aren’t they), you should go see this movie. It's fun. Ryan Gosling keeps proving his star power every time he comes out. Grab anyone who loves a great action movie and take them with you. Take your mom to see it for Mother's Day. Take your best friends. Take your brothers, cousins, and dads to check out a flick for a change. It doesn't matter how into movies they are. Watching movies at home is fine, but after all the punching, kicking, broken windows, and CrossFit-esque body moving, I think you'll all leave the theatre with a fire in your hearts.
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