Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling form the charismatic R&R dream team in this 70s buddy cop crime action comedy. As their ironic name and trailer indicate, they're not actually that nice. Crowe's Jackson Healy can break your bones with a single throw (probably), whilst Gosling's Holland March can break a bottle of scotch (easily). Nearly two hours of entertaining plot and a storyline where a sleazy film is somehow tackling serious issues will have you chuckling, wincing, and rooting for this unlikely duo. The Nice Guys packs a solid punch of personality and is a thoroughly satisfying film.
Set in LA, suspicious deaths and disappearances with no clear cause are the catalyst for bringing Healy and March together to solve the mystery and find missing girl Amelia (Margaret Qualley)...although their first meeting is no friendly meetup. The film laughs at expectations and manage to twist them even if the plot isn't completely unguessable. Its mysteries are subtle so it doesn't feel like a mere detective story where you're trying to work out who the bad guys are and why they're doing what they're doing. Instead, you get to watch the clever chemistry between Crowe and Gosling play out, and really believe they're this crime-stopping duo from the 70s. Crowe's taking after his Aussie buddy Hugh Jackman in that he's now this tough guy who talks with his fists, and he does a really good job of it too, providing some entertaining fight scenes. But it's Gosling who often steals the show as a probably-alcoholic bad private investigator and to be honest, bad parent too. I haven't really seen Gosling in many funny roles as he's usually gazing into the camera lens being all dramatic, so this was refreshing to say the least. He's spot on, and can definitely rock the hippy sunglasses look. Much of the film's pizzazz is in the characters, and the character's pizzazz come from a masterclass from R&R. (Even if Crowe's role is mainly being tough, speaking tough, and punching people. He's convincing.) There are bad guys too, but to give them away now just wouldn't be much fun.
The addition of Holly, March's daughter, is an unconventional one, even if her do-good character does get a bit annoying. Imagine the Mystery Gang from Scooby-Doo all in the form of one 13 year old girl. Having said that, she's ballsy (she wants her frenemy Janet to be punched but she's also the moral compass), she's the kid that parents the parent, and actress Angourie Rice is superb. I don't think she's been in many feature films so far, but it's rare for a child actress to be so naturally good. Watch this space, and please keep her away from the Disney Channel!
The script is sharp, to the point, where even one-liners don't feel cheesy. Comedy is enthused throughout, far from slapstick, and sometimes all you need is Russell Crowe to give you that look and you're laughing. Think quiet chuckles rather than full-on lols. The film comes across pretty stupid and daft, but there's clearly a lot of thought behind the mayhem. It's not exactly realistic - for example, there's a lot of falling that would result in horrific real-life injuries, but it never becomes too dramatic either. There is a fine balance that brings a different style of comedy we don't usually see in films.
The Nice Guys is unnecessarily sleazy sometimes and could do without. On another note, it brings up themes of corporate power and conspiracies which, when combined, make a strange concoction of elements in a film. Above all, a visit to the Nice Guys means you'll witness some terrific acting and marvel at how weird it gets. And you'll see bad guys get beaten up real bad. But you will definitely laugh.
The Nice Guys is in cinemas now.
- Thursday, June 16, 2016
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