The Fall Guy
If you thought remaking Road House was reaching …
The Fall Guy (2024)
3 / 5
Gather ‘round, ye youngsters, and listen to a tale of days gone by. You see, children, once upon a time there was Lee Majors, who was a really big deal in the late 1970s for playing a cyborg on a TV show called The Bionic Man. When that show ran out of juice, Majors mixed his remaining star power with the bottomless energy of TV-writing machine Glen A. Larsen, who crafted a new series for him to star in: 1981-1985’s The Fall Guy. It is important to note that many of Larsen’s series efforts can be best described as “A (niche character archetype) fights crime using his (niche archetype) skills.” Keep in mind, Larsen would eventually bring the world Manimal, so when I tell you, young children, that The Fall Guy was about a stuntman who fights crime using his stuntman skills, you should not think that’s a pretty thin premise for a show that went five seasons and over 100 episodes.
I was like 10 years old right in the middle of The Fall Guy’s TV run, and I admit I completely missed it. In my defense, I was watching Knight Rider instead (also a Larsen production, along with Magnum, P.I., and all three shows were airing at once, so yeah, Larsen was a machine). I never knew anybody who watched The Fall Guy, so I was genuinely surprised that anyone remembered it sufficiently to reach for it in the 80s remake craze still gripping Hollywood. I reiterate my attempt to manifest a new Goonies. Heed my plea, universe!
To this movie’s credit, though, the fact that there’s not much to remember about the original show means this remake can run wild. It leans delightfully into the meta of 80s action-movie nostalgia. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are great together, and turn the movie into Tropic Thunder by way of the Universal Studios stuntman shows of years gone by. This is a really fun summertime movie for people who really like summertime movies and general moviemaking nerdery. Trust me when I tell you that you don’t need to know anything about the old show (I sure didn’t, though of course if you do there are a few Easter Eggs in there).
3 stars of 5: It’s classic summertime popcorn fun, and I liked it.