Movie Review: The Nice Guys · 4:09am May 18th, 2018
2016 was an interesting year for me in terms of movie-watching. I saw Deadpool in theaters and loved it, my dad and I watched Zootopia when it came out and had a good time.
However, the summer of that year was kind of a tepid experience for me, at least with what was playing at the local cinema. My dad and I saw The Legend of Tarzan when it came out, but it was just kind of mediocre. Most of the other June and July releases were of no interest to me, and as such my dad and I spent most of our movie-watching efforts on Netflix.
I say this, because there were two movies in May that set the bar of movie-watching so high that nothing else that summer could match up.
One of those films was Captain America: Civil War.
And the other was a neo-noir black comedy action film from Iron Man 3 writer and director Shane Black:
The Nice Guys.
Set in 1977 Los Angeles, The Nice Guys is the story of a most unlikely team-up, between luckless alcoholic private investigator Holland March (played by Ryan Gosling) and tough enforcer Jackson Healy (played by Russell Crowe) as they try to solve a missing persons case that leads them down a rabbit hole of conspiracy and weirdness.
In some ways, I'm a bit reluctant to talk about the details of the plot in the film. Befitting a noir film, there's various twists and turns to the plot, and I don't want to give away spoilers or anything.
However, what I will talk about is the film's masterful use of tone, wit, and character.
The Nice Guys is a film that is both dark and lurid, and charming and hilarious all at the same time. It's a film that revels in the seediness and excesses of 1970s America, and the plot is basically how anything good in the country has practically died and nobody has noticed it yet. It's a film that is cynical as all hell, where our two heroes are both profoundly screwed up people... March is a self-loathing screwup who racks up misfortune and injuries at an almost Wile E. Coyote-type rate, and needs to be driven around by his daughter Holly (played by Angourie Rice); while Healy is much more functional and with it, but is still a man who busts people's faces (and arms) for a living...
And yet is also a riotously funny buddy comedy, where the two protagonists are guys who genuinely are trying to improve and to do the right thing. For all of his mistakes, cowardliness and alcoholism, March is also a loving father who has moments of actual competence as a detective and legitimate badassery. Healy may be a grizzled bruiser who uses violence to settle his problems, he also is levelheaded and methodical, well-read (one of the film's most hilarious gags is his word-a-day calendar) and also displays a paternal fondness for Holly.
Speaking of Holly, Angourie Rice turns in a fantastic performance. This kid is definitely one of the film's highlights, and that is saying something considering that she is sharing the screen with actors such as Crowe and Gosling. I was highly impressed with her character, and Holly is in many ways the most heroic character in the film. At many points she is the one taking care of her dad; a thing that is both depressing and also impressive, for how well she is able to handle him (and Healy too)...
Make no mistake, The Nice Guys is a dark and seedy film, whose story is full of some very grim material...
But at the same time, if you have a good threshold for black comedy, by God it is hilarious. 
Shane Black's script deftly handles a good mix of comedy, mystery and genuine drama. An uproariously funny sequence involving getting rid of a dead body can smoothly segue into a tense shootout and chase, that still tosses out some fun bits of snark, and then suddenly become genuinely serious at the end, before leading back into some humorous screw-ups from March.
I strongly recommend this movie, if you've got any sort of interest in comedy, noir, or action. This is a film that really brilliantly uses wit and tone, crafting a memorable experience.
I saw this movie four times over the summer. It was just that good. And it also inspired me and my dad to seek out more of Shane Black's filmography, which I hope to cover more of here sometime.
The Nice Guys,, everyone.
What a pair.
Well, that description makes "The Nice Guys" even more nice. And I also like Deadpool (movie and character). The thing I like the most is that he loves breaking the fourth wall!
4863368
Heh, thank you. I hope it makes you interested to give the movie a try.
I watched a good number of Shane Black films after I saw The Nice Guys. I'd recommend Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, myself, it's probably his best in addition to this one.
4863369
Sounds good. Thanks for the info.
4863371
No problem.
I actually hope to do a review of Kiss Kiss at some point in the future.
4863372
Don't forget the Bang Bang.
4863373
XD Yes, that is important too.
It's got Robert Downey Jr. in it, actually. A few years before he made a comeback as Iron Man...
He plays the Holland March type-character.... as in, he's the movie's screw-up who gets all the bad luck.
4863376
Glad you liked the joke! And bad luck for Robert is... well, bad!