As each year unfolds, the movie industry manages to produce a multitude of films that together appeal to virtually everyone’s taste, as these three releases amply illustrate. Each is a fine example of cinematic art.
For sheer escapist entertainment, one could hardly do better than The Fall Guy, (in current release and streaming on Prime and other channels) a rom-com starring Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a stunt man besotted with budding film director Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). When a stunt goes wrong and Colt breaks his back, he decides to give up the chase, until he discovers Jody needs a stunt man for her current film project. Determined to be of service to the love of his life, Colt joins Jody’s crew. What follows is more comedy than romance, and, in fact, more a series of outrageous stunts than simple comedy. In fact, the stunts are the main point of the action as Colt literally throws himself into Jody’s service, while, at the same time, becoming innocently involved in a series of shady dealings.
So it is that stunts become the main focus of the story line and whether involving cars, boats, a garbage truck, or a helicopter, they are spectacular. They are so over the top that they become laughably unbelievable and thoroughly entertaining as we watch the hapless Colt engage in one berserk chase after another. There’s even a delightful dog who comes to Colt’s assistance.
The Fall Guy aims at escapist entertainment, and thanks to the stunt men who made the whole thing possible and to Gosling’s engagingly vulnerable hero, it succeeds. Indeed, after this, we won’t need any more of the Mission Impossible, James Bond, or Fast and Furious franchises. They have simply been made redundant. Film fans looking for sheer escapism can find it all here thanks to the unsung heroes, the real stunt men.
For viewers who are looking for something more solid, Ron Howard has directed a documentary of the life and achievement of Jim Henson, Idea Man (streaming on Prime and Apple). Henson, the genius who invented the Muppets and gave the world Sesame Street, was indeed a man of ideas. His dedication to exploring new crafts, his amazing inventiveness, and his passion for making the world a friendlier and happier place were unique, and Howard brilliantly brings all of this to captivating life.
This is a documentary which will touch the hearts of many as they are made aware of the enormous gift Henson gave to the world – a gift which continues to entertain and educate millions of children (and not a few adults!) on television screens throughout the world.
For those filmgoers who wish to engage in an experience which is at once entertaining, thought provoking, and a superb example of cinematic art, there is Perfect Days (streaming on Apple) directed by the amazing Wim Wenders and starring the talented Koji Yakushu in a brilliant performance.
This deceptively understated film follows the daily routine of a Tokyo toilet cleaner, Hirayam. Each morning, he greets the day with a smile, sets off to clean meticulously and scrupulously the impressive public toilets in the city, enjoys a solitary lunch in the park, routinely goes to the same restaurant, occasionally drops in to a bookstore, goes home to read (Faulkner and Highsmith), and then goes to bed in his small, bare apartment.
Gradually one becomes aware of the man’s reality: each day brings moments of perfection, whether it be in the satisfaction of a lowly job superbly well done, taking a photo of a tree’s branches against the sky, listening to cassette tapes (of “classic” American songs) or simply superficially interacting with others he encounters. Slowly, too, one learns a little of his background.
We gradually learn more about him, getting hints of an unhappy childhood, as he receives a visit from his niece and somewhat estranged sister. In doing so we share in his vision: that we should embrace the small joys of existence and delight in the moment. That is enough.
Summed up in the philosophy that “next is next; now is now,” this patient, gentle man brings to wondrous life a lesson for all of us: to be content to experience the joy of daily living in whatever form it comes. It is indeed a timely lesson for so many of us who are constantly chasing something more, looking for the next technical toy, rather than finding happiness in the sheer pleasure and gift of ordinary living and the things we already have. Incidentally, those Japanese toilets have to be seen to be believed!
So there you have it. Either escapist well-crafted fun, informative documentary, or philosophical challenge: the choice is there for each to pursue one’s chosen preference. Good viewing, whichever path one follows!
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