The Nice Guys

Shane Black, the same guy that wrote the Lethal Weapon films and TV show, is the mastermind behind The Nice Guys, the greatest film of 2016 that was forgotten the second week it was in theaters. With an amazing duo of Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, spitting witty dialogue back and forth as if it were patty-cake, and a surprising story that evolves beyond any expectation makes this film a blast every time you watch it. 1970s Los Angeles explodes out of the screen and hits you in the face with loud music, vibrant colors, and classic references to Hollywood and the Government present in that time period.

Shane Black’s writing is genius; every scene both introduces a joke and reuses another one to have a multilayered scene filled with humor and references every time. The two protagonists separate the humor into two styles: slapstick and wit. Ryan Gosling’s character holds the physical gags in the scenes, while Russell Crowe’s character adds his vocabulary to give the action a clever twist when everything hits the fan. Sure, these aspects switch characters for several scenes, but it normally is consistent for the quiet moments. I am not a huge fan of Russell Crowe, but he shines in this film more than any of his other performances, and his chemistry with Ryan Gosling is electric. Their interviews to promote this film were hilarious; this connection between actors rarely happens, and it promises stellar performances, especially for a buddy movie. All the humor and camaraderie between the actors build on the two very contrasting characters they played. Gosling’s money-grabbing PI is a mess that cannot find his way to the bathroom without his twelve-year-old daughter, while Crowe’s rule-following hit man strives to gain a better sense of life through protecting the weak— still for a price, but his intention grows through the film.

The Nice Guys was Shane Black’s attempt to come back into Hollywood with a classic crime series, but it made no money. It had the stars, the jokes, the action, but the theaters were empty. Why? Captain America: Civil War, The Angry Birds Movie, and Neighbors 2: Sorority Uprising were all in theaters for its opening week, and the next week had X-Men: Apocalypse and Alice Through the Looking Glass ruin its chances even more. The Nice Guys was a smaller film with no superheroes or previous film to attract loyal audiences. It is a prime example why more films are mainly sequels or beginnings to massively complex series about alien worlds and superpowers; a 70’s styled detective comedy is not what the audience wants anymore. It happened to the Western genre, and it is happening now with the detective film. Streaming companies and Television might save them, there are even rumors of having The Nice Guys TV show, but this will only happen if the two protagonists are women. Honestly, this story about two Private Investigators trapped between the corrupt government and the nihilistic world of the 70s porn industry can only be told with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. It is a shame that Shane Black will not be able to write more with these characters, but its failure now makes this film that much more special, and its humor that much more charming.

Story Rating: 9/10

Character Rating: 9/10