While there are countless movies featuring the work of stunt performers, movies that center the experiences of those performers are much more rare, which is part of what motivated former stunt performer David Leitch to make the new THE FALL GUY. One of the standouts on that short list is Richard Rush’s 1980 genre oddity THE STUNT MAN, which uses the experience of its accidental-stuntie protagonist to blur the lines between post-Vietnam reality and moviemaking fantasy in fascinating, sometimes confounding ways. We talk through our interpretations of what it means and whether it works, and come to the conclusion that even when it doesn’t, Peter O’Toole’s performance as a diabolical director manages to hold it all together. Then in Feedback, our recent CHALLENGERS episode inspires a couple of listeners to share their alternate pairing ideas.
Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE STUNT MAN, THE FALL GUY, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.
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#428: Teenage Dreams, Pt. 2 — I Saw the TV Glow
#427: Teenage Dreams, Pt. 1 — Donnie Darko
#426: Playing the Hits, Pt. 2 — The Fall Guy
#424: Mixed Doubles, Pt. 2 — Challengers
#423: Mixed Doubles, Pt. 1 — Y Tu Mamá También
#422: Alex Garland's Catastrophic Visions, Pt. 2 — Civil War
#421: Alex Garland's Catastrophic Visions, Pt. 1 — 28 Days Later
#420: Final Cuts, Pt. 2 — Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
#419: Final Cuts, Pt. 1 — The Player
#418: Crimes of Passion, Pt. 2 — Love Lies Bleeding
#417: Crimes of Passion, Pt. 1 — Bound
#416: Ethan Coen Co-Capers, Pt. 2 — Drive-Away Dolls
#415: Ethan Coen Co-Capers, Pt. 1 — Raising Arizona
#414: Beach Bummers, Pt. 2 — How to Have Sex
#413: Beach Bummers, Pt. 1 — Where the Boys Are (1960)
#412: Road Trip Trios, Pt. 1 — The Holdovers
#411: Road Trip Trios, Pt. 1 — The Last Detail
#410: Hunting Games, Pt. 2 — Self Reliance
#409: Hunting Games, Pt. 1 — The 10th Victim
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