The Nice Guys Review
Let me start with this: whoever thought up putting Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling together in a buddy cop movie, or any movie, for that matter, whether it be Shane Black, the director and co-wrote the script, or someone at Warner Brothers, deserves a medal. It’s a pairing I probably would have never thought of. Both have moments of hilarity in the movie, both have some of the bad-ass cop moments we expect, and they have a chemistry unlike any other cop buddy movie since, dare I say it, Lethal Weapon (1987)? Well, I guess that makes sense since Black also wrote the screenplay for that film back in the day.
For me, this is the type of experience Paul Thomas Anderson wanted us to feel with his last effort, Inherent Vice (2014). Despite that film’s funny performances from Josh Brolin and Joaquin Phoenix, the plot felt like a drugged-out hippie telling a story second-hand from his best friend’s sister or something like that. While it got the 70’s mood and feel down well, it was excruciatingly hard to follow. Where Vice delivered fine, The Nice Guys delivers in spades. From the music choice to the costume design to the properly displayed ’78 movie posters, if the story doesn’t do it for you, there’s almost always something fun to look at or listen to in the background. Similarly, the story for The Nice Guys has a few more twists and turns than I needed, but it never got to the level of confusion that Inherent Vice did.
As far as the rest of the cast goes, Matt Bomer has a fun little two-scene supporting role, and it’s always a pleasure to see Kim Basinger on-screen. However, the young actress who steals the show and who at times drives the plot is Angourie Rice, who plays Gosling’s daughter. Maybe I’ve seen her in something else prior to this film, maybe not, but either way I had no idea who she was, but going forward she will be a young actress for us to keep eyes on. Despite the dynamite chemistry between Crowe and Gosling, their praise is almost undone when compared to Rice’s performance. She really should get more great work after this performance.
Let’s backtrack now to Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. As the two main stars, I’ve already praised their work together, but separately the two do great work as well. Gosling’s investigative character has some very funny moments and it feels like a role that could be revisited in the future. Crowe also delivers with his character, and again a spin-off or sequel with more of him is something I’d be open to. In fact, I’d go as far to say that this is the best performances from both actors that they’ve had in a while, especially for Crowe, who hasn’t impressed me too much since Cinderella Man (2005). I liked Gosling fine in last year’s The Big Short (2015), but this was just a home run for him. Let me reiterate that if we got a sequel to this, say Nice Guys 2: Even Nicer or some silly title like that, I’d be into it.
This is the type of film in the summer that has been very successful in the past, the R-rated adult fun film, usually falling in the comedy genre. The Hangover (2009) and Bridesmaids (2011) have been monster hits in the summertime and it’s a shame to see a film that’s on that level of comedy and entertainment be a box office disappointment stateside. But I’m actually not too shocked that this is the case. After all, the trailers for the film weren’t what made me see the film. And the tracking for the film has always put the film in the $50 million tops range of grosses. After seeing the film I’m kind of hoping the film picks up. Again I’ll say it’s a film for adults. There’s plenty of violence and language in the film as well as some brief nudity. While it’s gonna take a censor or two to make the film more family friendly and TV playable, those who enjoyed films like Hangover and Bridesmaids for their comedy and who appreciate a little more in their plot than those two films will more than likely enjoy The Nice Guys. It will take me another viewing, but I could argue it’s even funnier and an overall better film than both Hangover and Bridesmaids.
My rating, 9/10.
