Film Journal 2024: The Fall Guy
Directed by David Leitch
As a rom-com it’s very good
As a comedy-action it’s good.
As a love letter to the art of stunt work and filmmaking its exceptional.
There is a lot of film here. Most of this is due to the fact that it spends time building up the romance. So much so that its easy at points to forget at times that this is an action blockbuster film. And don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of excitement and entertainment and big creative set pieces with cinematic flourishes, but they are interspersed into a mix of drama and ideas relating to the the Director-stunt person relationship. Which just means it’s a more patient film than you might expect.
It also feels like a throwback to a bygone era, a celebration of a time when practical set pieces were more the norm than a CGI heavy industry (and the plot plays into this as well). I’m not sure if this will isolate some viewers, or play too much into nostalgia, but I do imagine it will play well for those who grew up in the 80’s/90s. And if not, you’ve got Gosling and Blunt doing their thing, which is worth the viewing in its own right.
The Stories of my Life 