In his last two directorial efforts (Kiss Kiss,Bang Bang; Iron Man 3) veteran screenwriter Shane Black enjoyed having Robert Downey Jr. as his lead. Lucky him! This time it’s Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. They don’t merely reinforce the material here–they propel a breathtakingly-paced yet lax script into the smart-and-funny category.
That is not to say this crime noir comedic homage to 1970s-era buddy flicks keeps its head out of cliches and silly plot complications. Black, who penned Lethal Weapon and The Long Kiss Goodnight, also isn’t above referencing himself. As my friend and trash movie aficionado Lou was quick to point out there’s a scene here literally lifted straight out of The Last Boyscout, the 1991 Bruce Willis film which Black also wrote. Yet what keeps Black on fairly stable ground is not just a fine feel for the absurd-tinged, vacuous aspects of 1970s culture but also sharp timing in his set pieces.
When loosey-goosey private eye Holland March (Gosling) juggles a loaded gun, a cigarette, and dangling trousers when confronted while siting at a bathroom stall, pure comedy results. Other scenes take full advantage of crude yet crisp henchman Jackson Healy (Crowe), who refreshingly turns out to be a surly practitioner of deadpan and other classic comic devices.
Now about that plot. Damsel in distress meets porn industry meets political corruption meets family betrayal meets mysterious murders meets our two clutzy heroes. It’s quickly established March and Healy will be reluctant comrades when the first thing Healy does upon meeting March is
break his arm. Then there’s a 13-year-old running around spouting very adult lines. She’s Holly March (Angourie Rice), Holland’s daughter, and her use here at first makes one uncomfortable but before long she’s a candidate for the best thing about this movie.
I can’t help myself in throwing in this spoiler but when Holly tosses what is perceived to be hot coffee on a gun-wielding villain, only to find out the brew is ice-cold, it’s another one of those scenes that keep this film engaging. Just don’t expect–well, Lethal Weapon and you’ll be fine here.
In the end The Nice Guys asks us to swallow a lot of hooey: ludicrous, nonsensical plot contrivances, a lackluster Kim Basinger performance (she subdues a marginally dull character into the realm of the insipid) and villains who don’t feel very villainous. Ride
along with Crowe and Gosling and
you’ll get through this largely unscathed and all the more amused. Black probably forgot more about putting on a good show in this genre than younger directors hope to ever know.