Tell me if you've heard this before: a lazy and perpetually intoxicated detective figure in Hollywood, a gruff partner who does not let aggression stand, a missing young woman whose family is hiding something, corrupt businessmen, threats of castration, bohemian hippies, and a trip through the world of pornography.
You're right; those are elements of The Big Lebowski, but they are also elements that make up The Nice Guys (2016), co-written and directed by Shane Black. One part neo noir, one part screwball comedy, one part action movie, The Nice Guys is all fun.
Fundamentally, The Nice Guys is a buddy cop movie. Two mismatched partners are forced to team up to take down the bad guys, and over the course of the movie, they grow to respect and even like each other. A movie like this depends on the chemistry of leads, and Gosling and Crowe have great chemistry.
One of the movie's inspirations is how March, the would-be slick private eye, is the jerk and Healy, the brute, is the calm professional. As he beats him up during their first meeting, Healy politely tells March which arm bone to tell the doctor is broken.
March is the kind of guy who won't say no free alcohol, even while staking out a wild party at the porn producer's mansion. where he ends up swimming in the pool with porn star mermaids, but he's just good enough as a detective to be believable. He'd be a great one if he lived up to what Holly hopes for him.
Healy is focused and wants to do the right thing, but he gets his hands dirty and doesn't shy away from being violent. They both make mistakes, they both cause trouble, and deep down, despite the sleazy nature of their work, they're both nice guys. Kind of.
Black knows how to balance the comedy with high stakes. The movie knows when it's time to get serious (but not too serious) and when to go for a joke. When Healy approaches March with the offer to team up, it's in the bathroom of the bowling alley where Holly's birthday party is being held. March, sitting on a toilet, tries to keep a gun drawn on Healy but fails to keep the stall door open.
There's also some hallucinatory weirdness at points. When March falls asleep at the wheel, he has a conversation with a giant, talking, smoking bee in the back seat because why not.
The plot and action are secondary in a movie like The Nice Guys. What matters is style and personality, and The Nice Guys has both in spades.
One of the movie's inspirations is how March, the would-be slick private eye, is the jerk and Healy, the brute, is the calm professional. As he beats him up during their first meeting, Healy politely tells March which arm bone to tell the doctor is broken.
March is the kind of guy who won't say no free alcohol, even while staking out a wild party at the porn producer's mansion. where he ends up swimming in the pool with porn star mermaids, but he's just good enough as a detective to be believable. He'd be a great one if he lived up to what Holly hopes for him.
Healy is focused and wants to do the right thing, but he gets his hands dirty and doesn't shy away from being violent. They both make mistakes, they both cause trouble, and deep down, despite the sleazy nature of their work, they're both nice guys. Kind of.
Black knows how to balance the comedy with high stakes. The movie knows when it's time to get serious (but not too serious) and when to go for a joke. When Healy approaches March with the offer to team up, it's in the bathroom of the bowling alley where Holly's birthday party is being held. March, sitting on a toilet, tries to keep a gun drawn on Healy but fails to keep the stall door open.
There's also some hallucinatory weirdness at points. When March falls asleep at the wheel, he has a conversation with a giant, talking, smoking bee in the back seat because why not.
The plot and action are secondary in a movie like The Nice Guys. What matters is style and personality, and The Nice Guys has both in spades.
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