Film The Big Lebowski 2.0
When I saw the original red band trailer for The Nice Guys, I had concerns that, what with trailers being the way they are, all the best jokes had been shown to us. Fortunately that isn't the case; The Nice Guys is hands down the funniest new release I have seen in years.
The Nice Guys is a send up of hardboiled detective noir, in the vein of James Ellroy's LA quartet. The protagonists are an ungainly duo; Healy (Russel Crowe) is a stoic thug for hire, and March (Ryan Gosling) is a sleazy private detective. Both are being paid to track down a porn-star whom they both believe is already dead. We do too, the very first thing we see in the movie is said porn-star, killed in a car accident.
From the get go, it is clear that neither of these men are at all qualified for the task before them. Though even tempered, Healy knows nothing about detective work. Meanwhile March somehow knows even less and has yet managed to convince himself otherwise. Gosling utterly steals the show as the incredibly vain, dishonest and thoroughly incompetent gumshoe. He is a detective that doesn't even have a sense of smell. Rather than distance us though, we find ourselves relating to this moron, and his obliviousness sets up some genuinely sad and touching moments towards the end of the movie. The "third man" in this is March's pre-teen daughter, Holly, who is the only one with any instinct for the job. Precocious kids have a habit of ruining movies I like, but she is well placed here.
Holly exemplifies an interesting theme in this movie; despite it following a pair of macho, tough guys, all the most competent, powerful, and plot driving figures are female. There is a sense of male inadequacy running through the film, as they bumble their way through a world that is ostensibly theirs - a city of porno mansions, car manufacturers and gangsters - ignorant of who is really running the show the entire time. It is one of many subversions to a traditionally masculine genre. The other big subversion is to traditional plot structure as well; the movie pretends to run through the motions, only to surprise you when its about to get formulaic. Much like The Big Lebowski, the mystery and the three act structure get thrown out the window.
Describing good comedy is harder for me than describing good action or good acting. Comedy is subject to a much broader range of taste, so it is harder to qualify what makes it appealing. If however you like dark, smart and surprising gags, The Nice Guys may well be a must have.
Film Absolutely hilarious and worth your while.
This is one of the best comedies I've seen out of 2016. The actors were having fun, the writers were having fun, you'll have fun. It is silly without being nonsensical. And while the plot is easy to follow, they still manage to sneak in a few twists and turns in there.
Oh, and a great child actress too. One of the few films where a child can take center stage alongside adults and I absolutely loved it. Can't remember anything this good since Home Alone.
All in all, it's a brilliant film. It plays with the tropes, plays with the settings (it's the 70's), plays with the characters and it's just a hilarious ride all the way through.