Does a "Fall Guy" Movie in Theaters Mean America Is Back?

Probably not, but hey

So this is happening and there’s nothing you can do about it.

“From the director of Bullet Train.” Oof.

I’m not sure why it took 40 years to make a movie version of The Fall Guy, and it seems unlikely they’ll be able to top this:

That was back when Ryan Gosling was still in Canadian diapers, and it’s the most ‘80s thing that has ever existed. Back then, every show had a 90-second opening credits sequence, and we all sat through it every week because there was no Tivo or Netflix. You watched the television program that was on, when it was on, and liked it. At best, you could tape it and watch it later, if you even had a VCR in 1982.

Plus, I was the perfect age to be intrigued by Heather Thomas sauntering around in a bikini, or any other item of clothing.¹ Throw in some trucks soaring through the air and Lee Majors modulating between his three (3) different smirks, and it was a pleasant evening of entertainment for the whole family.

And yes, that’s Majors “singing” the theme song, namedropping a list of ‘80s hotties that included his own ex-wife. It was even released as a single! What a strange and wonderful time to be alive.

But does anybody under 40 even remember that show? Hell, I barely remember it, and I’m sure I watched it every week. It’s not like there are Fall Guy fan conventions. People have fonder memories of The Six Million Dollar Man, which is even older. It was a weekly waste of time from the Reagan Era. Will it really make Gen Z stop smashing windows for Hamas long enough to go to the theater?

But sure, I’ll go see it. This is the second Ryan Gosling movie in a row to trade on childhood nostalgia, which may or may not mean America is officially back.

You can get the first season of the show for $4.99 at Amazon right now, and I’m sure it’s worth every penny. If the movie is a hit, maybe it’ll prompt a blu-ray set of the complete series. Maybe things will go back to being like they were, when you only suspected everybody was crazy but weren’t constantly bombarded with evidence 24/7.

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I didn’t understand why anybody found John Mulaney funny even before we learned he’s a huge druggie, but they keep giving him chances to disappoint me. Here’s his latest:

Everybody’s in LA because that’s where the cocaine is. But he looks pretty good with a mullet, I guess?

Jerry Seinfeld recently took some heat for decrying the state of comedy in 2024, but I watch something like this and I can only agree with him. “It’s funny ‘cause it’s not funny!” No, it’s just not funny.

Whatever happened to real comedy?

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1. Apparently she got super-addicted to cocaine while doing that show. How could Colt Seavers let that happen? As for Douglas Barr, he quit acting in the early ‘90s and directed a bunch of TV movies I’ve never heard of. Show business is rough, man.