MOVIE REMAKE OF “THE FALL GUY” IS ONE OF THE GOOD ONES

Yes, Hollywood has a problem finding new ideas and we see that almost yearly. Movies are remade and TV shows are rebooted. Sequels are put out decades later. New spins are put on characters that no one asked for or are out right dismissed. Sometimes these remakes can be made with the right idea in mind that harkens to their roots and doesn’t ignore their source material. Over the years TV shows have been brought to the silver screen in various forms and with mixed success. A show that I thought could translate was the Lee Majors’ action comedy from the 80s The Fall Guy. It’s the story of a Hollywood stuntman named Colt Seavers that is a part time bounty hunter to pay the bills. He drives a sweet GMC pickup (because in the 80s you had to have an iconic ride) that he could use to chase down the bad guys that he’s been assigned to find in and around Hollywood. His cousin, Howie is his partner along with stunt woman protege Jody Banks who was not a love interest. How much did that premise change to fit the big screen?

Thankfully not a ton of things have changed. Colt, played by Ryan Gosling still has the iconic truck, along with an updated version for the film. Jody Moreno is played by Emily Blunt and is instead a camera operator and is definitely his love interest. Howie isn’t in the film, but we instead get Dan played by Winston Duke that helps out Colt. Colt is not a bounty hunter in this film, but it might be a precursor to him becoming one if there is a sequel. In The Fall Guy, now on Peacock Colt suffers a major injury and gives up the stuntman business until a producer on Jody’s first major film calls him for stunt work because the stuntman that usually is the stand-in for Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Tom Ryder has quit. After arriving Colt is told that Tom is missing, and he needs to find him because he knows him so well and they can’t involve the police, or the film will go belly up from the bad publicity. Colt is quickly drawn into a mystery in his attempt to find Tom and soon finds himself on the run using his skills to stay safe and find Tom.

Needless to say, The Fall Guy does a great job mixing action and humor similar to the 80s show it is born from. The plot is born of an action comedy that would have been perfect for the time. Gosling has this charm that permeates his scenes similar to what Majors had back in the day and can pull off being a tough guy. The action in the film is very good without being too movie crazy. The majority of the stunts are real action with real stunt people. Emily Blunt does comedy so well despite her British accent being so perfectly proper. The chemistry of them together on screen is powerful and they pull off some great comedic moments interacting with each other and there is improvisation left in the film that really makes it better. Taylor-Johnson plays the perfect stuck-up actor more concerned with whether his stuntman’s face is too noticeable on screen and wanting people to think he does his own stunts. The version on Peacock is an extended director’s cut and it does slow down a bit with too much dialogue between characters, but it does give the film a bit more depth. I think the best thing is that not only do we get a great movie, but it is an homage to “the unknown stuntman” and women who have endeared danger, injuries, and even died over the years in Hollywood in the name of getting the best shot. There has been a push lately to recognize these integral players in film and give them Oscar awards based on their tireless work. Get this one on your watch list and enjoy a fun movie with comedy, heart, and most importantly respect to those who have bled for the movie business.