Review: Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt will have you kicking your feet in ‘The Fall Guy’

The recipe for a perfect summer blockbuster isn’t a complicated one, but it’s one that’s difficult to master in order to create a truly memorable moviegoing experience.

First off, there needs to be action – the people are craving popcorn munching explosions and adventure. Then of course, you’ve got to have movie stars – bonus points if they’re ridiculously attractive – and they have to have an unhealthy amount of chemistry onscreen. Last but certainly not least, keep us laughing when we’re not swooning, oohing or aahing.

But the summer blockbuster cheat code? Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, a not-so-secret weapon that lifts “The Fall Guy” from standard summer movie to a hysterical and thrilling hit.

In the wake of “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” last summer, the two biggest summer hits in recent memory, it doesn’t take a genius to wonder what would happen if you combined two of Hollywood’s biggest stars in yet another blockbuster. While “The Fall Guy” is a change up from last year’s movies, there’s certainly plenty of familiar territory for Gosling and Blunt – from Gosling still oozing Kenergy to the frequent but non-nuclear explosions on set.

Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, the biggest action hero nobody knows. He’s just the stunt guy doing all the life-threatening grunt work for none of the glory, while Tom Ryder’s (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) face gets plastered over Colt’s as the true movie star. But that’s fine with Colt, as long as he’s got the attention of Judy Moreno (Blunt), a camera operator as enthralled with Colt as she is with her dream of one day directing. Their behind-the-scenes romance on set has led to quite a spark between the pair, until a stunt-gone-wrong almost costs Colt his life – but does cost his job. A broken back is painful, but Colt’s shame is even worse, as he blames himself for the accident and heads into a self-imposed exile leaving the movie industry altogether.

Until… a call from Tom Ryder’s producer, Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham), pulls Colt out of retirement when he learns Tom is in desperate need of a stuntman for his new movie. But not just any movie: Judy’s directorial debut – a “Dune” meets “Star Wars” style sci-fi fantasy epic called “Metalstorm.”

When Colt arrives on set, though, things aren’t quite as simple. Turns out Judy didn’t actually ask for him by name, that was all Gail’s work, and for a sneaky, ulterior motive, too. Tom has gone missing, and Colt needs to go from fake action hero to the real deal and find him if he wants to give Judy’s big break a fighting chance.

“The Fall Guy’s” plot is a bit twisted and convoluted, folding back on itself as the web of conspiracy unfolds throughout the movie, but this movie knows never to take itself too seriously. As a loose reboot of the 1980s TV series of the same name, real life stuntman-turned-director David Leitch is well aware of the current state of Hollywood – and pokes plenty of fun at it through “The Fall Guy.” Though not mentioned in the movie, Judy’s film itself is a nod the another ’80s title, “Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn,” as a self-aware joke on the current reboot culture.

The movies’ best jokes come from this sort of meta-commentary that fits all too perfectly when you’re making a movie about making a movie. Blunt and Gosling have an absolutely hilarious extended sequence on the set of “Metalstorm” in which Judy and Colt are hashing out the collapse of their relationship, but doing so in front of the entire cast and crew and using the fictional film’s characters as stand-ins for their own romance.

In less capable hands, “The Fall Guy” would likely fall flat, but truly dynamite casting anchored by the never ending charms of Gosling and Blunt are what elevate this material to a higher level. Gosling blends his himbo Kenergy from “Barbie” with the faux bravado of Holland March from “The Nice Guys” to create a character that makes it nearly impossible not to laugh. Meanwhile Blunt’s Judy eats up all of Colt’s charisma with a pure, sweet innocence, until she doesn’t, deciding she’s ready to dish it right back at him. The duo create a combination that will have you giggling and kicking your feet in the theater, questioning which one of the superstars you’re crushing on most at the moment.

Beyond Gosling and Blunt, Waddingham plays Gail Meyer in such a devilishly sinister and manipulative way that steals scenes whenever she’s on screen, and Winston Duke’s stunt coordinator, Dan Tucker, provides a hysterical sidekick for Gosling’s Colt.

Leitch is known for his ability to put spectacle on screen. With nearly 20 years of experience as a stuntman, Leitch’s knack for action is evident in his direction, too, with hits like “Deadpool 2,”“Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” and “Bullet Train.” That action is once again front and center in “The Fall Guy,” from the fabricated sequences in the movie-within-the-movie that peel back the curtain on real stunt work and deservedly put a spotlight on the stunt community, to the “real” sequences in the film with epic car chases, helicopters and hand-to-hand combat.

But what’s most impressive from Leitch here is his ability to so seamlessly blend the action with the romance. “The Fall Guy” is packaged as an action-adventure film, but it is just as much – if not more so – the rom-com between Colt and Judy. Leitch is able to go from a shootout to a confession of love in just a few quick moments, and it all works together perfectly to create something that’s the total package.

If it weren’t for Gosling and Blunt, this movie likely wouldn’t work nearly as well as it does, but luckily for “The Fall Guy,” it does have two of the biggest movie stars in the world. The result is the perfect summer thrill ride at the movie theater that’s equal parts action, comedy and romance.

Star Rating:

“The Fall Guy” releases in theaters May 3, 2024.