The Nice Guys takes a familiar type of comedy and finds ways to make it new, funny and enjoyable to watch
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Buddy comedies are nothing new. I have seen them countless times in movies like Shanghai Noon, Rush Hour, Rush Hour 2 as well as Starsky and Hutch. They were very popular on 1970’s television and slowly have been making a comeback. The Nice Guys follows this formula by transporting the audience right to the 1970’s in Los Angeles of all places. I was lucky enough to see it earlier this week and here are my thoughts on it.
You can read the plot for The Nice Guys here:
“Holland March (Ryan Gosling) is a down-on-his-luck private eye in 1977 Los Angeles. Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) is a hired enforcer who hurts people for a living. Fate turns them into unlikely partners after a young woman named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) mysteriously disappears. Healy and March soon learn the hard way that other dangerous people are also looking for Amelia. Their investigation leads to some dark places as anyone else who gets involved in the case seems to wind up dead.”
I enjoyed The Nice Guys. It is a silly comedy that many times doesn’t take itself that seriously but oddly enough it helps this movie be good. Gosling plays the oddball partner that is totally out of character for him but he makes it work somehow. Crowe plays the tough guy yet he does have elements that are new for him to bring to a role too. The Nicee Guys does a good job of taking people into an era long since passed and bringing with it many of the very things that made it wonderful. There is the music, the drugs and of course can’t be complete without disco and crazy parties. There is some nudity but it is not there for no reasons, it has a purpose that may sometimes seem out of place but trust me it makes sense once viewers get the whole picture in focus. Both of the characters have their demons and forms of loss and together they find a way to not only walk through it but grow stronger together. It has a surprising finale that is full of action, suspense and reveals a few surprises that most people won’t see coming. Overall it was a good comedy that is better than the trailers let on.
The Nice Guys gets 7/10. It is silly, too much so at times but the movie has a way of blending humor and action to make for an enjoyable comedy. I really liked how Gosling and Crowe played off of each other and how these two guys who originally hated each other become not only partners but friends too. They are taking on a case that is more than it seems but somehow with a little luck they find a way to pull it off. It is a great film for men to go and see with their friends this weekend and has tons for them to enjoy.
If you are a fan of 1970’s buddy cop films then this is one you will want to see. People who like Gosling and Crowe should run out and see this movie. The Nice Guys comes out this Friday. Be sure to follow the film on Facebook and Twitter.
Take a trip into the past by watching the trailer below: