The Fall Guy acts as a homage to all the stuntmen and stuntwomen out there. This is a love letter to the stunt team, a film dedicated to showing the grittiness and the roughness of the industry and how the movie industry will fall apart without them. Not only that, this is also a film for anyone who loves films or filmmaking in general.
Just like how Barbie was meta for the toy industry, The Fall Guy is meta for the filmmaking industry. Plenty of subtle and hidden messages that were incorporated in the script. Ex: There was one scene that spontaneously mentioned on how the stunt team didn't get any recognition at the Oscars. There was even distinct mentions or references of Taylor Swift, Dune, Kill Bill and Miami Vice amongst many others. Plenty were about the movie industry that if you spotted those things, you would truly have a good time in the cinemas.
Marketed as an action rom-com, this film didn't fill its promise with the comedy. It's an element that's just lacking from beginning 'til the end. Of course, it wasn't empty, it had its moments but for a comedy film, it didn't achieve the bar it was supposed to. You might be smiling or left out a few chuckles, but they weren't anything that were just worth bursting out loud. Again, comedy is extremely subjective.
The Fall Guy did very well the first 30 minutes of the film. Everything you wanted it to be was conveyed really well. David Leitch opened the film about a film who's working for that film. It fully maximizes everything exciting regarding this subject. The main focus was about filmmaking and the stunt community. It shed light on these unsung heroes, showcasing their dedication and talent in bringing action-packed scenes to life. And damn, it is very good and entertaining.
When the second act came in, we started to lose a bit of interest in this movie. Mainly due to its shift of focus that it somehow turned into a murder mystery genre. First act was very good that it talked a lot on filmmaking, and almost every scene was located in a production set. The dialogues were also heavy on that. But the middle part focused more on the murder mystery and romance. While they still included a lot of the meta elements here but they turned its way into a more generic film when it could have been so much more.
Even most of the dialogues during the romance scenes were just not as good as the rest of the script. They just didn't maximize the stuff they were talking about. Some dialogues felt meaningless. Some were just flat out boring. Some have meanings but if only they could polish them, this movie would have been so much better.
Luckily, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt sparked a good chemistry on set. Even with a moment of no dialogues, just when they're looking at each other, you'll know well enough their chemistry is just electrifyingly good. There were moments they weren't physically together, but the film showed them on a split screen and etc. But the palpable connection between them remained strong.
The movie redeems itself at the third act. It's a very epic ending and you rarely see this kind of ending in an action rom-com movie. The action and the scope were big and the messages were all very on-point with the whole theme of the film. It's bombastic but it's lovely at the same time. It's less on fighting or punching, but more on the performing of stunts. 2-3 scenes felt and looked like they came straight out from old classic films. There's just a certain way that the ending was shot that it gave a homage to old action movies. It's indeed a sight to behold.
Verdict: A love letter to the unsung heroes, The Fall Guy pays homage to the stunt community, exploring their hardships behind the scenes through the lens of both a director and a stuntman. While it falls short on delivering promised comedy, its first act shines with interesting filmmaking commentary. Despite a weak second act, strong chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt along with an epic finale elevate the film, delivering a visually stunning tribute to classic cinema.
P. S: There's a mid-credit scene! Stay tuned!
