70s
comedy
detective story
film review
nice guys
russell crowe
ryan gosling
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE US LAUGH?
11:28 PM
“The Nice Guys" D: Shane Black S: Shane Black and Anthony Bagarozzi C: Philippe Rousselot C: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, etc
The grimy carefree 70s meet Hollywood’s sweetheart Ryan
Gosling and earnest leading man Russell Crowe in an appealing concoction of
physical comedy and buddy film. And what a ride it is.
The plot – a raunchy who-dunnit involving two men and a “baby”
in her preteens - is decorated with glimpses of originality and wit. There are serendipitous
scenes which surprise and astonish with their uncompromised vision which is not
afraid of breaking the rules of probability. For example, the opening car crash
and later on, Holland March’s (Ryan Gosling) leap off the side of a hotel into
a deep blue pool. There is a story to tell and the laws of physics and Murphy
will not hinder the course of a great tale. These kind of conveniences do not
feel misplaced or lazy because the two “heroes” are not even pretending to be
in charge or having the upper hand (surprisingly, not even in the very end).
The deer-in-the-headlights act is so enjoyable because it diffuses all
pretentiousness which is a feat on its own taking into account that we are
still dealing with two Hollywood megastars. Witty little details in the
dialogue help as well – clever use of “equanimity” and word play with “porno
young lady” are just a few examples of how writing helps to elevate the tone of
this physical comedy. Slapstick can be an unrelenting lover (just ask Adam
Sandler) but a clever mix of surprise, pacing and wit in “The Nice Guys”
manages to make for a very enjoyable viewing.
Despite its many successes, “The Nice Guys” is not without a
few faults. It remains unclear until the very end whether Kim Basinger’s Judith’s
remarkably stiff performance was an out-of-place example of “Naked Gun” and “Airplane”-style
deliberate comedic deadpan or just a casting misfire. Similarly, the character-
and relationship-building scenes involving emotional growth feel crowbarred in
to create a neat story arc. These stale old emotional narrative ploys seem superfluous
in such a free-flowing and fresh film. It is also doubtful whether the brief
stint to Gonzo territory in the form of an illusion of a human-sized rat in the
backseat added anything to the tonal balance of the film. Not to mention the
ending which just reeks of the money the lucrative sequel to “The Nice Guys” will
make.
“The Nice Guys” has the oomph and down-to-earthness of “The
Amazing Spiderman 2”, the clumsy charm of “Moonlighting” and the unexpected
amusement of “Wolf of Wall Street”. Expressing emotion and showcasing character
development is not its forte but the magnificently sincere fun to be had
watching it will more than make up for it. Gosling and Crowe in a feather-light
buddy comedy might sound like an unfunny April fools’ joke but this one is on
us – they are simply marvellous.
Image: https://65.media.tumblr.com/722699e6a08e4d79c4043a8da46fa6d5/tumblr_o6riw8IDbX1rkpizbo1_500.gif
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