Skip to content

Menu 1

  • Home
  • About
  • The Archives
  • EVERYBODY IS STILL A SUSPECT: A LOOK BACK AT SCREAM
  • Home Releases – New on BluRay, DVD, and Streaming
  • Twin Cities Live
  • Interviews with the Cast and Crew
PAUL'S TRIP TO THE MOVIES

Movie Review: THE NICE GUYS

By Paul McGuire Grimes
On May 20, 2016
In Movie Reviews
Tagged Angourie Rice, Kim Basinger, Margaret Qualley, Matt Bomer, Murielle Telio, Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Shane Black, The Nice Guys, Ty Simpkins

THE NICE GUYS
Director: Shane Black
Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Kim Basinger, Margaret Qualley, Murielle Telio, Ty Simpkins

Porn and Ryan Gosling. No, it’s not that kind of movie. The year is 1977 and the porn scene in Los Angeles is just as hot as ever. It’s no secret that young boys have a tendency to sneak nudie magazines from underneath their parents’ bed. What you don’t expect is to come face to face with the centerfold model. That very thing happens to a young boy (Simpkins) when a car comes crashing through his house. He goes to investigate the crash and finds Misty Mountains (Telio) sprawled out dead and in the same position as he just found her in the magazine. The death of Misty Mountains is just a small part of the investigation at hand. Ryan Gosling plays Holland March, a private eye who’s a bit clumsy and thinks he has his act together. In all reality, he usually comes up a few pieces short of the full puzzle. He’s hired to find a missing girl by the name of Amelia Kuttner (Qualley) and the details of her disappearance are slim. He is also hired by Misty’s aunt who believes she saw her niece alive shortly after her supposed death. Joining him in the search is detective Jackson Healy (Crowe) who is known as the “real life tough guy” according to a magazine cover. He’s the no-nonsense type with his brass knuckles ready to lay down the law. It’s a stark contrast to Holland’s way of getting to the bottom of the situation. The character of Amelia is kept a mystery, but it’s a forgone conclusion that she’s somehow involved in the porn scene when a variety of Misty’s coworkers keep popping up dead. The Holland/Jackson duo later becomes a trio when Holland’s daughter Holly (Rice) tags along for the ride. She becomes the smart, logical one of the group despite her young age.

The brain behind this operation belongs to writer/director Shane Black. His credits all align within the action and comedy realm having directed the noir hit Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) and Iron Man 3 (2013) as well as writing the scripts for the first three Lethal Weapon films. He’s also had a few other less-than-stellar titles in the mix like Last Action Hero (1993) and The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996). His career really took a sharp turn for the better when he was able to direct his own scripts. I haven’t fully studied his career, but it’s evident with The Nice Guys that he has such a distinct vision with his writing that it could easily veer in the wrong direction with an incapable director.

It has the perfect balance of comedy and action working in tandem with each other. The genre blend of these two has been growing lately with the likes of 21 Jump Street, Tropic Thunder, and Keanu. The comedy in those film gears toward lowbrow and easier laughs with the central characters caught in situations beyond their control. I’m not trying to shame or lessen their laugh factors, but point out how different The Nice Guys is with the balance. It’s just as much an action film as it is a comedy. Black knows how to meticulously choreograph action scenes to play them like physical comedy gags without them feeling hokey. Some you can envision being storyboarded while others play on the comedy rule of three. This has very dark and witty material for which the tone may not appeal to everyone. At one point Gosling states, “You made a porno film where the point was the plot.” I can just imagine half the audience leaving the theater claiming they just don’t “get it”, while the other half leaves with a devilish grin on their face.

Gosling and Crowe make for a sharp team together. I would never have expected Russell Crowe to star in one of the funniest movies of the year. This is probably the loosest we’ve seen him on screen, even with him playing the tough guy. It’s by far his best performance in many years. Gosling gets to be erratic and goofy. He’s not the smartest private eye, which helps with the comedy. He’s also great at playing hot head characters who are out of control. Kim Basinger arrives in the second half as Amelia’s mother. She and Crowe get to have a nice little L.A. Confidential reunion despite her limited screen time. Matt Bomer eventually pops up and plays against type as a shady character named John Boy.

The 1970s time period provides for groovy costumes, bad wigs, wild parties, and nutty characters along the way. I had said grin on my face the entire time as I got a kick out of the ridiculous nature of it all. It’s twisted, but oh so much fun. The two leads are genuinely having a great time with their characters, and in turn makes it all the easier to go along on their buddy cop routine. While I’m not necessarily wishing for a sequel, I wouldn’t rule it out either, as there is potential for more fun and mishaps to be had with these characters.

Is It Worth Your Trip to the Movies? Crowe and Gosling, oddly enough, make for a great comedic duo.

RATING: 4 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

2016-05-20
Previous Post: Movie Review: MONEY MONSTER
Next Post: Take-Up Productions Presents: JOAN VS BETTE

Follow Me on Social Media!

Twin Cities Live 1/15/21 – News of the World, Promising Young Woman, One Night in Miami

https://youtu.be/2nWPI9SjyAg

Movie Reviews

One Night in Miami - 4.5 Ticket Stubs, Amazon Prime
Pieces of a Woman- 4 Ticket Stubs, Netflix
Promising Young Woman - 4.5 Ticket Stubs, In Theaters, OnDemand
Sylvie's Love - 4 Ticket Stubs, Amazon Prime
Wonder Woman 1984 - 4 Ticket Stubs, In Theaters, HBO Max
Soul - 4 Ticket Stubs, Disney+
News of the World - 4 Ticket Stubs, In theaters, On Demand
The Midnight Sky - 3.5 Ticket Stubs, Netflix
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - 4.5 Ticket Stubs, Netflix
I'm Your Woman - 4 Ticket Stubs, Amazon Prime
The Prom - 4 Ticket Stubs, Netflix
Let Them All Talk - 3.5 Ticket Stubs, HBO Max
Ammonite - 2 Ticket Stubs, Video OnDemand
SuperIntelligence - 4 Ticket Stubs, HBO Max
Happiest Season - 4 Ticket Stubs, Hulu
Sound of Metal - 5 Ticket Stubs, Amazon Prime

Streaming TV Reviews

WandaVision - 4 Ticket Stubs, Disney+
The Mandalorian Season 2 - 4.5 Ticket Stubs, Disney+
The Crown Season 4 - 4.5 Ticket Stubs, Netflix
The Haunting of Bly Manor - 4.5 Ticket Stubs, Netflix
The Last Dance - 5 Ticket Stubs, Netflix
Dead to Me Season 2 (2020) - 4 Ticket Stubs, Netflix

Now Streaming: I’M YOUR WOMAN (Amazon Prime)

https://youtu.be/JUAWR11dIwA

Tom Hanks Interview – “News of the World”

https://youtu.be/LjqC2fDG304

“Beautiful Boy” Q&A with Timothée Chalamet & Nic Sheff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIPQIu04c9Q

Archives

  • Retrospectives
    • THE DC EXTENDED UNIVERSE
    • MARVEL
      • Marvel Cinematic Universe-Phase Three
      • Marvel Cinematic Universe-Phase Two
      • Marvel Cinematic Universe-Phase One
      • X-MEN
    • Stand By Me (1986)
    • The Bond, James Bond Challenge
    • “HALLOWEEN” RETROSPECTIVE
    • EVERYBODY IS STILL A SUSPECT: A LOOK BACK AT SCREAM
  • Interviews with the Cast and Crew
  • Home Releases – New on BluRay, DVD, and Streaming
  • The Archives
  • RETROPSPECTIVES

Designed using Chromatic. Powered by WordPress.