‘The Fall Guy’ Review: Ryan Gosling Is a Lover and a (Stunt) Fighter in Surprisingly Romantic Reboot of ’80s Action Show
variety.comPeter Debruge Chief Film Critic In 99% of Hollywood movies, the goal is to make the stunt work invisible. Audiences are supposed to believe that the star — or better yet, the character he plays — put his own life at risk jumping off buildings, blowing up cars or duking it out with squads of bad guys.
In “The Fall Guy,” the stuntman gets to be the hero (of an insanely overcomplicated story), while the star is a prima donna who claims to do all his own stunts but needs his double to step in when things get tough. “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.
This is the charisma-radiating side of Gosling audiences love (as opposed to expressionless “Only God Forgives” Gosling), and though his character doesn’t have much depth, you could hardly wish for better casting.
Everybody knows that stuntmen are more impressive than the movie stars whose gnarliest feats they perform. It’s the reason Tom Cruise insists on doing his own stunts (or claims he does, at least).
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