It was only a matter of time before some filmmaker noticed Ryan Gosling's comedic abilities and utilized them to their greatest limits. It's a shame that we can't get goofy, mustachioed Gosling more often but Shane Black's The Nice Guys is an excellent vehicle for just that. This film is a fantastic comedy that shows the humorous strengths of the cast incredibly well while providing a genuinely engaging story. With some absolutely shocking moments and a script that is amazingly sharp, there is so much to love about this film. I was a bit underwhelmed by Black's direction and there are many parts of this film that could have used some condensing to make more impactful but in all honestly, I'm quite happy with what we got. I have heard so many rave reviews of the film before this first watch and despite its flaws, I got exactly what I expected. This movie might not be the most laugh-out-loud comedy or most innovative crime drama but the chemistry between the cast and atmosphere that Black creates makes for such an entertaining watch.
Set in 1970s Los Angeles, private investigator Holland March (Ryan Gosling) and hitman Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) cross paths when they end up entangled in a case regarding a young girl named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) and the death of a local porn star. As they team up to track down Amelia, the two of them realize that their personalities might not be the most compatible and that they both might be getting themselves into something much deeper than they expected. This script, written by Shane Black and Anthony Bagarozzi, is what I found myself consistently focused on. Their writing is so incredibly clever and the very prevalent use of humor throughout this film makes it so entertaining. The comedy in this film is written so well due to its authenticity and how natural it all felt. This comedy element, while most prominent, is blended with the dramatic story with ease and Black makes his version of Los Angeles so easy to fall in love with. The performances from Gosling and Crowe were also stupendous and their chemistry together and how they play off of each other only helps the comedy aspect. This is the funniest film of Gosling's that I have ever seen and his character of March is the shining light throughout this story. His simple deliveries of dialogue and thematic whining throughout his character's arc are absolutely hilarious and give so much characterization to him. March's relationship with his daughter Holly (Angourie Rice) is also a huge part of this film that not only helps the story to further but is so well-developed right off the bat. Their relationship is obviously complicated, as March is a single father raising his daughter but the way that they know each other and the subtleties they share are shown with such humorous tenderness.
Although I genuinely enjoy the writing throughout The Nice Guys and how Black attempts to utilize these multiple genres, there is still so much room for improvement in its execution which could definitely benefit from some technical changes. While the script is hilarious and touches on some serious subjects decently well, this film is a bit forgettable. Wildly entertaining, of course, but there is just something about it that did not sit very well with me. I believe this has to do with Black's direction because there are so many scenes that could have been cut and creative choices made that did not necessarily fit the tone of the rest of the film. This film greatly overstayed its welcome and while the left turns that the story takes could have left me guessing what would happen next, they instead made me wonder when the film would be over. Joel Negron's editing plays a huge technical part of this and I think that much quicker cuts and tightening of every dialogue scene would have entirely enhanced the writing. Concise editing is what truly makes comedy work well, especially in an exciting film like this one and I just felt like this movie was far too spacey for its own good. Shane Black is fantastic at directing action, as the fight scenes were enthralling, but I think his script is where his strongest suit lies. Perhaps I am a bit too nitpicky about the film and its execution but there was so much potential for this movie to be a much more memorable, powerhouse comedy. However, this film is an undeniably fun ride and one that I can easily see there being a sequel too. And quite honestly, I'll be first in line to go see it.
Shane Black's The Nice Guys is a fantastic comedy-thriller that perfectly hits all of the notes it is aiming for. I appreciate Black's knowledge and self-awareness of the tropes throughout this film and the way that he plays with them is excellent. Thanks to the script and performance from Gosling, I definitely see myself revisiting this movie soon and I genuinely love how much fun there is to be had with this story.
My Rating: ★★★½
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