The Fall Guy (2023)    Universal/Action-Comedy    RT: 126 minutes    Rated PG-13 (action and violence, drug content, some strong language)    Director: David Leitch    Screenplay: Drew Pearce    Music: Dominic Lewis    Cinematography: Jonathan Sela    Release date: May 3, 2024 (US)    Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Winston Duke, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu.

Rating: ***

 For starters, let me clarify something about The Fall Guy. It’s supposedly an adaptation of the TV series from the 80s starring Lee Majors and Heather Thomas. It is, but only in the most general sense. They share a title and a main character named Colt Seavers. This Colt, played by Ryan Gosling (Barbie), is a movie stunt man but not yet a bounty hunter which I guess makes this incarnation of The Fall Guy an origin story of sorts. In any event, other than a lead female character named Jody, the similarities end there.

 It should also be noted that none of the above will matter to anybody under the age of 35. None of the young staff members I spoke to at the theater knew The Fall Guy was a TV-to-film adaptation. They never even heard of the show. I had to explain it to them which is something since I never saw a single episode of it until a few months ago. When I heard a movie was coming out, I watched the first few episodes to familiarize myself with the original source. I didn’t feel the need to watch the whole series (it ran five seasons). As it turns out, it didn’t matter. This version of The Fall Guy is its own animal.

 The Fall Guy has the distinction of being the first big movie of summer 2024. Directed by David Leitch (Bullet Train), it’s an enjoyable action-comedy that sets out to do nothing more than entertain audiences. Colt quits his profession after an on-set accident only to return 18 months later at the behest of persistent producer Gail (Waddingham, Ted Lasso). She claims his ex-girlfriend Jody (Blunt, Oppenheimer), a former camerawoman directing her first feature, asked for him. She didn’t. She’s still pissed at him for ghosting her after the accident. It turns out the star of the picture, pretty boy egomaniac Tom Ryder (Johnson, Bullet Train), has gone missing after getting mixed up with some bad people. Gail needs Colt to find Tom before the studio finds out and takes over production.

 I liked The Fall Guy. So help me, I really liked it. It has a lot going for it. The two leads, Gosling and Blunt, have great chemistry. It never once feels forced or random. If anything, it’s kind of brilliant bringing together two of the stars of last summer’s big hits- i.e. Barbie and Oppenheimer aka “Barbenheimer”. Gosling has an easy-going charm to him as the titular character while Blunt matches him point for point as the ex who claims to want to quit him (she really doesn’t). Johnson is hilarious as the hot property movie star who may or may not be based on Tom Cruise. He’s the perfect mix of prima donna and whack job.

 I’m not going to get too hung up on flaws here, but it’s hard not to notice how Leitch struggles in the first half. He has difficulty balancing the rom-com stuff with the action. He struggles for a bit but eventually gets it together; at which point, The Fall Guy becomes a fun ride. There are some nifty, well-orchestrated action sequences. There’s also plenty of humor with all the physical comedy and inside jokes about the film industry. I never thought I’d hear the 1980 TV movie The Girl, The Gold Watch & Everything referenced in a film, but now I have. There’s also a stunt dog who only understands commands spoken in French. Let’s just say he’s a big help to Colt.

 We’re in an age when big blockbuster movies take themselves way too seriously. They’re these long, complex, world-building affairs where you have to have seen all the movies and TV shows that came before it to understand what’s going on. I’m looking at you, MCU! The Fall Guy isn’t like that. It’s just simple popcorn entertainment. It aims to please and largely succeeds. Also, and this is something I really appreciate, it doesn’t make the same mistake as CHiPs and resort to vulgarity, crude humor and mean-spiritedness. It’s a good natured blend of action and comedy aimed at viewers looking to escape reality for a couple of hours.

P.S. Stay through the credits for a bonus scene that I know will please fans of the original show.