Summary
Author Stephen King has given his mixed review of Universal’s action-comedyThe Fall Guy. Helmed byBullet Traindirector David Leitch, and starring Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling, the movie is loosely based on the 1980s TV show of the same name. It follows a washed-up stuntman as he works on his ex-girlfriend’s directorial debut movie, and is caught up in a conspiracy involving the film’s lead star. The movie received largely positive reviews from critics, but has not been considered a box office success, grossing $145.6 million against a production budget of $130 million at the time of writing.
Kingtakes to X, formerly known as Twitter, to respond to a post from fellow author Linwood Barclay, who opined,“The Fall Guy is great fun.”
King regularly shares his opinions of pop culture on social media. TheSalem’s Lotauthor gave his own verdict onThe Fall Guy, claiming"Yes, definitely fun, but great fun? Perhaps not.“While saying the movie is fun,he holds back on giving it high praise.
Why Has The Fall Guy Not Resonated With Audiences Despite Positive Reception?
King’s Review Shows The Mixed Feelings That Might Have Led To The Movie’s Underwhelming Box Office
DespiteThe Fall Guy’s positive reviews, it has had a curious theatrical run, boasting aRotten Tomatoes critics score of 81%, and an audience score of 83%. However, despite this, the movie has fallen short of box office expectations, and there could be several reasons for this. King’s Tweet suggests that, while some viewers no doubt enjoyed the movie, they only felt it was fun, but not groundbreaking. This coupled with the movie’s quick move to streaming, could have caused some people to choose to wait and watch the film on digital platforms.
Another factor that could have led to the film’s lukewarm box office run is the feeling that the movie blends the action and rom-com genres, without ever really giving enough focus to either. In a slow year for cinema,movies falling back on pre-existing IPs does not guarantee success, and audiences could well be craving something fresh and new, which might also be a factor.
The overall performance of the movie will be viewed as disappointing, and the disparity in some opinions toward the movie, as King and Barclay’s opinions show, could have caused it problems theatrically. Hollywood is in a slow period right now, andFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga’s poor box officefurther exemplifies this point, with many people choosing to stay away from theaters, andThe Fall Guyhas also been a casualty of this.
The Fall Guyis available to rent or purchase on VOD.
The Fall Guy
Cast
The Fall Guy is an action thriller from Bullet Train and Deadpool 2 director David Leitch. Ryan Gosling stars as a stuntman who is forced to find a missing movie star, investigate a conspiracy, and repair his relationship with the love of his life. The film was written by Drew Pearce and inspired by the 1980s TV series of the same name.
