It seems as if in recent years there has been a surge in popular demand for the “pretty good” movie. With the monolithic presence of intellectual property-driven franchises, the people yearn for the “middle-budget movie.” The middle-budget movie is the elusive Third Estate of cinema; not quite a blockbuster and not really a small, daring movie scaring off large audiences. These crowd-pleasing movies are driven by original stories and big-name stars rather than the franchise label. A lot of films under this umbrella have formed an enduring cultural presence: “The Truman Show” or “Good Will Hunting” show how middle-budget films can rise above their humble beginnings to critical and commercial success. Despite this, it seems like the room for this type of film has significantly shrunk in recent years — but not all hope is lost. Shane Black’s 2016 film “The Nice Guys” built a pretty sizable following as the ascetic ideal of the middle-budget movie. A buddy cop comedy driven by the humorous performances of Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe was the perfect vessel for the middle-budget movie to operate, and to great effect. Maybe the middle-budget movie is back.
Well, if we can’t get “The Nice Guys 2,” I guess “The Fall Guy” will be fine.
After all, it also has Gosling and is clearly about a (or some) guy(s), what else could a film possibly need? Starring Gosling as stuntman Colt Seavers and based on the ’80s show of the same name, “The Fall Guy” is an exemplar of the middle-budget film: a romcom turned action flick with few aspirations beyond entertainment. Colt is the aloof comedic character that Gosling has made a brand out of playing recently, the type of character that is perfect for his charisma. After suffering an injury, the stuntman takes his first role out of retirement to help out his former fling, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt, “A Quiet Place”), who has been given her first chance to direct a feature film. When Colt arrives, he discovers from producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”) that the actor he has long served as a collaborator for, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, “Bullet Train”), has gone missing, revealing a deeper conspiracy.
With a simple plot, “The Fall Guy” can quickly get to what it’s really trying to do. The romantic dynamic between Gosling and Blunt allows both actors to show off their acting chops, providing the most entertaining element of the film. Their “will they, won’t they” dynamic forms the film’s heart, while their charm in tandem with some situational humor is the comedic element the film revolves around. It’s a little funny to have Gosling, one of the few true “movie stars,” cast as the underappreciated old-school stunt guy while calling out the vanity of the self-obsessed actors — the film remarks at one point that there isn’t any Oscar for stunts. However, there truly is nothing here at all if not for Gosling.
In the first half, when the film is focusing on establishing these characters, it slows down and taps into these elements. This slower section of the film is the best part of the whole thing. Especially strong is the self-referential bit in which Jody writes the film they’re making within the story as a clear reference to her and Colt’s relationship. It’s here where you get what you want to get from this kind of film, just some funny actors hamming it up.
As the film moves along, it departs from this romcom framework to a more action-oriented movie. While the contributions from the stunt work are admirable, much of the action devolves into the weightless, depth perception-less action that is all too prevalent in modern action films. By this, I mean the Disney+ aesthetic — a bland, CGI aesthetic that doesn’t have the same exhilarating kick of “John Wick” or the “Mission: Impossible” series. Also, the endless waves of action cause these scenes to become so absurd its almost comedic. Some of this is certainly intentional, but it creates an exhausting effect (Who are these people? Why are we fighting? Where are we? What is going on? Can the Lakers avoid another four game sweep?). While it doesn’t make the action entirely devoid of any value, it feels like the humor hidden within these excessively long action sequences is screaming to be let out of its action movie shaped prison. Every once in a while, some good bits escape, but not enough to prevent the feeling that it didn’t need to shave about 20 minutes of action off.
It’s no Slime Climb, but “The Fall Guy” is a good enough time at the theater. We need movies like these; I’d much rather watch Ryan Gosling with a stupid haircut for two hours than I would most things in life. But, at the end of the day, I want to see an increase in the bits/minute stats. If “The Fall Guy” could commit more to being a funny romcom, it would be a better movie. And hey, maybe we’ll get “The Nice Guys 2.”
Daily Arts Writer Will Cooper can be reached at wcoop@umich.edu.