The Nice Guys (B or 3/4 stars)
A humorously unhinged Ryan Gosling & an enjoyable deadpan Russell Crowe star in writer-director Shane Black's 'The Nice Guys', a wild, entertaining action/comedy/thriller hybrid. This movie brims with quips, ironies, & physical gags; all while relating a film noir-ish tale of unsavory corruption set in the neon-lit underbelly of the 1970s L.A. porn industry. The film begins in 1978 with a catastrophic car wreck in which porn star, Misty Mountains, is killed - or is she?? An investigation into this blends with ensuing plot points. Enter hard-boiled tough guy, Jackson Healy (Crowe), whose job is to be a 'messenger' -- delivering his 'messages' with blunt force {fists, bats, guns, pretty much anything available and he leaves behind bruises, split lips, broken bones, & concussions.
His latest client is Amelia (Margaret Qualley), a fervid environmentalist who looks to discourage the attempts of private eye, Holland March (Gosling) to follow her. Jackson does what he is paid to do, leaving Holland fairly subdued after their initial encounter, only to discover that there is much more to Amelia than meets the eye. So Jackson returns to Holland, apologizes, & they become a reluctant team whose investigation takes them to burnt-down houses, lavish disco parties {Earth, Wind & Fire blasts away}, pool parties {replete with mermaids}& the office of government official, Judith Kuttner (Kim Basinger) ... who just happens to be Amelia's mother. All the while, an enigmatic, relentless hit man named John Boy (Matt Bomer), pursues the ill-matched duo while Holland's quick-witted 13 yr. old daughter, Holly (Angourie Rice), comes along with the investigators despite their very best efforts to keep her home. A high-level corporate conspiracy & hijinks ensue.
Watching 'The Nice Guys', I was reminded, somewhat, of 1997's Boogie Nights, another 1970s flick that summons nostalgia & a slightly exaggerated depiction of the more lurid aspects of L.A. I mean, there's porn stars, strippers, drugs, alcohol, big hair, funny outfits, disco music, Ryan Gosling swimming with topless mermaids, I could go on. Shane Back's willingness to get wild & weird brings the film's best chuckles. Even when our 'heroes' aren't the most likeable guys around, I found myself rooting for them. Ryan Gosling & Russell Crowe are perfectly matched as the berserk, boozy Holland & the bruising contract enforcer, Jackson. They're great fun individually, & even better together; with amazing chemistry & comedic timing.
Great as they are, they are practically upstaged by scene-stealing newcomer, Angourie Rice, as Gosling's confident, charming & charismatic daughter. Teen daughters-in-peril on film tend to be annoying, but not her! So yeah, 'The Nice Guys' is edgy, well-paced, action-packed & quite funny; replete with zany situations & nefarious villains. I'm not in love with the film, or anything. I've seen better comedies & better action films. But Shane Black deftly blends the humor with the action to come up with a winning combination for mainstream audiences. I enjoyed the visual aesthetic of the film. And it's hard to top the Crowe/Gosling duo.
His latest client is Amelia (Margaret Qualley), a fervid environmentalist who looks to discourage the attempts of private eye, Holland March (Gosling) to follow her. Jackson does what he is paid to do, leaving Holland fairly subdued after their initial encounter, only to discover that there is much more to Amelia than meets the eye. So Jackson returns to Holland, apologizes, & they become a reluctant team whose investigation takes them to burnt-down houses, lavish disco parties {Earth, Wind & Fire blasts away}, pool parties {replete with mermaids}& the office of government official, Judith Kuttner (Kim Basinger) ... who just happens to be Amelia's mother. All the while, an enigmatic, relentless hit man named John Boy (Matt Bomer), pursues the ill-matched duo while Holland's quick-witted 13 yr. old daughter, Holly (Angourie Rice), comes along with the investigators despite their very best efforts to keep her home. A high-level corporate conspiracy & hijinks ensue.
Watching 'The Nice Guys', I was reminded, somewhat, of 1997's Boogie Nights, another 1970s flick that summons nostalgia & a slightly exaggerated depiction of the more lurid aspects of L.A. I mean, there's porn stars, strippers, drugs, alcohol, big hair, funny outfits, disco music, Ryan Gosling swimming with topless mermaids, I could go on. Shane Back's willingness to get wild & weird brings the film's best chuckles. Even when our 'heroes' aren't the most likeable guys around, I found myself rooting for them. Ryan Gosling & Russell Crowe are perfectly matched as the berserk, boozy Holland & the bruising contract enforcer, Jackson. They're great fun individually, & even better together; with amazing chemistry & comedic timing.
Great as they are, they are practically upstaged by scene-stealing newcomer, Angourie Rice, as Gosling's confident, charming & charismatic daughter. Teen daughters-in-peril on film tend to be annoying, but not her! So yeah, 'The Nice Guys' is edgy, well-paced, action-packed & quite funny; replete with zany situations & nefarious villains. I'm not in love with the film, or anything. I've seen better comedies & better action films. But Shane Black deftly blends the humor with the action to come up with a winning combination for mainstream audiences. I enjoyed the visual aesthetic of the film. And it's hard to top the Crowe/Gosling duo.