The Nice Guys

The Nice Guys

Rating 5 out of 10

I was on the fence with this one when the trailers came out nearly a year ago.  One red flag was the movie was supposed to be released in February and it was pushed to mid-May.  That is rarely a good thing.  Another flag was how many different trailers they flooded the market with before it's release.  My experience has been unless it's a Star Wars or Batman the movies that have lots of commercials before the release it's because the movie is not that good and they are hoping for a big opening.  The movie has been getting amazing reviews (over 90% on RT) so I gave it a try.

The good.  Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are good together.  They seem like they have known each other for ages instead of this being the first time they have worked together.  They play off each other well.  The young girl playing Goslings daughter (Angourie Rice?) is cute and likable.  They did a good job of transporting back to 1977 capturing the music, dress and hair.

The bad. The script is total nonsense.  Crowe's character is a self described thug that beats people up for a living.  He meets Gosling when a young girl Gosling has been paid to locate pays Crowe to beat him up and make him quit following her (thus the broken arm scene everyone has seen many times).  Then that girl turns up missing and Crowe realizes someone is trying to kill her he hires Gosling to help locate her.  The girl is a pampered ultra liberal rich girl who finds out her mom is white washing a deal with the big three automakers in Detroit to bypass clean air standards and save money while polluting the air.  How does she plan to expose her moms evil plans?  Make a porn movie where leaked discussions with car manufacturers are worked into the script.  I kid you not.  Everyone with the porn movie is turning up dead to keep this from getting out.

I don't enjoy slapstick movies as some do.  This movie as a feel like director Shane Blacks other movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.  Also has a goofball feel like O Brother, Where Art Thou.  People being shot right and left between Gosling and his daughter and they are cracking on each other about him smoking too much.  Some like those type movies much more than I do.  I have to mention Russell Crowe not being in Gladiator shape.  He looks more like John Goodman on Rosanne. Gosling smokes non stop in the movie.

I was mildly entertained with this movie but was hoping for more.  Probably would have thought it was funnier had I seen in a full theater instead of an early show with few in the audience. This would make a fair rental if you like these type movies.