“… hit all of the beats of its different genres well.”

The Nice Guys is a movie that I have been looking forward to seeing ever since the first trailer came out. Luckily for me, the film didn’t disappoint at all. The Nice Guys finds a down-on-his-luck private investigator (Ryan Gosling) teaming up with a shoot first ask questions later intimidator (Russell Crowe), in an attempt to find a missing girl. The movie is a classic noir style detective story but with a comedic twist.

What I liked about The Nice Guys so much was that it hit all of the beats of its different genres well. The movie was hilarious, it had amazing action sequences, and it was also a very well written detective story. The characters were great because they had depth as opposed to being just a “bumbling idiot” and a “tough guy”, although they did act those parts many times. I wouldn’t be lying if I said this was one of the funniest movies I have seen so far this year. I enjoy comedies that know when to take a break from the jokes, and although the jokes are piled on pretty heavy during the beginning of the film that doesn’t hinder the greater story from remaining in the spotlight. One problem (probably the only problem) I had with the movie was that a lot of the jokes were used in the trailers. This is a problem not just with this movie, but with movies in general today. This didn’t stop me from laughing at the jokes, but it did take away some of the surprise (which is why the jokes work) leaving me able to guess which jokes were coming up. What I did enjoy about the comedy in this movie is that it didn’t dwell on the fact that there were jokes, if that makes sense. Instead of the movie “pausing for laughter”, it would present a joke and then move on instantly which makes most of the jokes funnier. A big reason this movie worked so well were the performances, Gosling and Crowe acting as the perfect “odd couple” that make comedies work. I had seen Gosling in a few comedy roles before so I knew he could pull it off (Lars and the Real Girls being a great example of his acting ability), but he was probably the best part of the movie. He played the character of Holland March so well that it wasn’t even as though he was acting. Of course Russell Crowe played Russell Crowe, but that perfectly fit the character he was playing. If not Ryan Gosling, I would say that Angourie Rice (who played Holland March’s daughter, Holly) easily stole the show. I had never heard of her before this movie, but watching her go toe to toe comedically with two high calibre actors and holding her own (even stealing the scene in a few instances) means that she will be going places with ease. As I said the movie also has a good story behind the comedy, creating a great homage to the classic detective movies. Not only was it a great homage, it was a great detective story. I was surprised to see how many little red herrings and clues there were throughout the entire movie that led to the ending realization. I also really enjoyed the soundtrack of this movie, but that’s because it was 70’s music. The period is another thing that they nailed in The Nice Guys and it was nice to see all of the little “easter eggs” and world building details done to really sell the time period.

Overall The Nice Guys is a fucking fantastic movie, and probably the funniest one I have seen all year. If you enjoy comedies or crime movies, do yourself a favour and go see it.

I give The Nice Guys an A