Another slightly tough review for me to write, this one, as I do think that some of the problems I had with the film were caused by situations quite specific to me. If you're not going to read any more of this review then the top line is that I liked the film, but I didn't love it.
Stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is called back to work by producer Gail Mayer (Hannah Waddingham) a year after a serious accident injured him during a stunt. The accident also prematurely ended a relationship he was having with Camerawoman Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) who is now directing this film, her first feature. Gail had an ulterior motive for calling Colt though, as the films star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has fallen in with a bad crowd and disappeared. Desperate to save Jody's film, Colt begins to track Tom across Sydney and finds his stuntman skills are soon put to use.
The problem with "The Fall Guy" that's just for me is that the trailer includes a lot of the film's key moments, including elements of all the stunts and the banter between Gosling and Blunt. That trailer has been running for a long time and I go to the cinema a lot, so I have seen that trailer dozens of times. Although it does keep some of the plot hidden, so doesn't give the game away in that sense, I did feel like I'd seen the film almost before it started. There are some regular issues with the film too, it does keep us, the audience, in the dark about it's actual plot for too long. Some aspects of the resolution, spoiler free but related to the veracity of visual and audio recordings, don't ring true.
There are plenty of positives though, the leads and the supporting cast are good. Aaron Taylor-Johnson has a lot of fun with the McConaughey-esque drawl. The stunts, which are all done practically as, if nothing else, the film is a love letter to the stuntmen and women of Hollywood are all really good.
It's not that it doesn't add up to very much, as much as it doesn't add up to as much as I wanted it too.
Stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is called back to work by producer Gail Mayer (Hannah Waddingham) a year after a serious accident injured him during a stunt. The accident also prematurely ended a relationship he was having with Camerawoman Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) who is now directing this film, her first feature. Gail had an ulterior motive for calling Colt though, as the films star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has fallen in with a bad crowd and disappeared. Desperate to save Jody's film, Colt begins to track Tom across Sydney and finds his stuntman skills are soon put to use.
The problem with "The Fall Guy" that's just for me is that the trailer includes a lot of the film's key moments, including elements of all the stunts and the banter between Gosling and Blunt. That trailer has been running for a long time and I go to the cinema a lot, so I have seen that trailer dozens of times. Although it does keep some of the plot hidden, so doesn't give the game away in that sense, I did feel like I'd seen the film almost before it started. There are some regular issues with the film too, it does keep us, the audience, in the dark about it's actual plot for too long. Some aspects of the resolution, spoiler free but related to the veracity of visual and audio recordings, don't ring true.
There are plenty of positives though, the leads and the supporting cast are good. Aaron Taylor-Johnson has a lot of fun with the McConaughey-esque drawl. The stunts, which are all done practically as, if nothing else, the film is a love letter to the stuntmen and women of Hollywood are all really good.
It's not that it doesn't add up to very much, as much as it doesn't add up to as much as I wanted it too.
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