If you’re heading to the movies this weekend, we suggest you skip The Nice Guys, unless you just need a dose of Ryan Gosling.
If you’re looking for a comedy to lighten up your weekend… The Nice Guys is not it. While it has its moments and a few passably funny lines, it lacks focus and direction. Read on to see the strengths and weaknesses of the Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe movie where neither of them truly steal the spotlight.
Strengths
Ryan Gosling’s slapstick comedy
The writing of The Nice Guys leaves a lot to be desired as most of the jokes don’t fully land, and even when they do, they’re more the “huh, that was funny” kind than the gut-busting, laugh-out-loud kind. The one part of this film that does work is Ryan Gosling’s physical comedy. In the opening 20 minutes or so, there’s a scene which includes Russell Crowe’s character breaking Gosling’s arm, and the high pitched squeal that Gosling emits garnered the loudest laughs of the whole movie at my local theater. That touch of funny is sprinkled throughout the film, and is definitely a highlight.
Angourie Rice
While Gosling’s slapstick comedy may have worked, it definitely pales in comparison to the true star of this film. Newcomer Angourie Rice plays Holly March (daughter to Gosling’s character), and is the shiny beacon of hope in this film. Her character is arguably more emotionally mature than her father, and is definitely more responsible. While Gosling’s character is stumbling around drunk trying to “investigate” a missing persons case, she is driving his drunk ass home at the end of the night. Her involvement brings more than a few chuckles throughout, especially when she tosses a carafe full of cold coffee on a bad guy in an attempt to stop them. She thought it was hot. It was a nice try.
Weaknesses
Bad jokes
There are a few good one liners in The Nice Guys, but the majority of the supposedly funny moments lack punch. Gosling is entertaining as the bumbling detective who would be better at his job if he could put the liquor bottle down for five minutes, but as the movie goes on, his drinking problem becomes less and less entertaining. When he and his daughter are late to a meet up with Crowe’s character, Jackson Healy, because they had to stop at a bar even before lunch, you’ll probably be asking yourself, “Why is this funny, again?”
An awkward and pervy beginning
The movie begins with a porn star’s car crashing through a house in the Hollywood Hills, which involves exactly none of our main characters, but does give the viewer a good shot at the actress’ rack from the gaze of a pre-teen boy. It may have worked as an opening scene if Misty Mountains was actually an important character in the story, and if she didn’t land sprawled out on the hood of the car like a pinup. Looking back on the scene, it screams pervy and weird, even with the porn angle coming back into play later on in the movie.
Unfocused story
There is a distinct lack of clarity in this film. Maybe some scenes were cut in post that shouldn’t have been. Maybe they tried to fix pacing issues and lost a scene or two that cleared up the motivations of each of the characters. All I know is that somewhere along the line, the story got muddled and lost. By the end of the film, you’ll have a good idea of exactly what’s going on, but the movie takes way too long to get there.
Uncomfortable porn references
A good raunchy comedy can be a great trip to the movies. Bridesmaids, Deadpool, and pretty much any Zach Galifinakis movie can attest to that, but when a movie throws in references to the porn industry and naked ladies simply to give their story a little edge? It just ends up feeling cheap.
Ultimately
The Nice Guys just doesn’t live up to expectations. It isn’t as funny as the trailer made it out to be, and the story doesn’t go where you want it to. If you’re looking for a casually funny movie that doesn’t require much of your attention, and that has a few laugh-worthy moments, then The Nice Guys is a passable trip to the movies. If money is tight and you’re looking for a great movie to distract you from life’s craziness, we suggest you go see Captain America: Civil War again, or basically anything else.