Synopsis:
Set in 1970s Los Angeles, down-on-his-luck private eye Holland March (Ryan Gosling) and hired enforcer Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) must work together to solve the case of a missing girl and the seemingly unrelated death of a porn star. During their investigation, they uncover a shocking conspiracy that reaches up to the highest circles of power.
What We Thought:
I had a lot of fun with The Nice Guys. It’s a classic buddy comedy/actioner.
It makes sense that it is because it’s from Shane Black. Black may not have created the genre, but he wrote films like Lethal Weapon, Last Action Hero and The Last Boy Scout. All those films mixed comedy and action extremely well.
Add in two of the best actors in the game right now, Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, and of course it’s a really good movie. There are very few Russell Crowe films I don’t like and Gosling is someone I usually enjoy as well.
The surprising part is the chemistry between the two. They had never worked together before, but watching the movie, they have a natural back and forth that makes it seem like they’ve worked together for years. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Crowe mentioned that both he and Gosling operate the same way. Both like to rehearse and talk out scenes in advance so by the time the camera rolls, they already know what they need to do in a scene. I’d love to see them in another movie together again.
Plus the film is a look at 1970’s Hollywood. As someone who has lived in Los Angeles and worked on films, I like movies about movies and LA. You really get an inside look at 70’s LA, the lifestyle, the women, the cars, the drugs, the parties. There’s porn and mustaches and corruption and exuberance. It has a cool vibe with great music, great production design and even better wardrobe/costuming.
The movie is really funny too. Crowe plays the “straight” man with Gosling as the out of control comedic relief. Crowe gets laughs as well, but Gosling is the drunk who falls down a lot and screams like a girl. Add in Gosling’s daughter character and the trio play off each other really well. Gosling has great lines with the daughter and great lines with Crowe. Again, just really natural chemistry.
I can see The Nice Guys being in my top 10 for the year. It is so far for sure. I’d see it again having just seen it a few days ago. Crowe and Gosling are great, Black does what he does best and the film is just a lot of fun. It never takes itself too seriously and never tries to outsmart the audience. It’s a classic buddy comedy mixed with a LA Confidential style crime caper.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Cast & Crew:
- Russell Crowe
- Ryan Gosling
- Matt Bomer
- Writer/Director Shane Black
Recommended If You Like:
- Lethal Weapon
- Buddy Comedies
- Buddy Action Films
The Nerds Templar 