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It has been almost nine years since the premiere of The Nice Guys, a 1970’s buddy action comedy that pairs Hiring Enforcer Jackson Healy with Private Detective Holland March, who are on the lookout for a girl named Amelia due to a mysterious connection to the sudden death of porn star Misty Mountains.
Thanks to this Monthly Challenge, I had the chance to rewatch the film and enjoy it, because now that I think about it, it was the second time that I saw it outside of a theater. I am glad it is aged so well cause even the jokes or crazy scenes, specially from Mr. Gosling, still makes me laugh out loud. No doubt that this is his movie from the beginning to the end, his and Angourie Rice as his daughter Holly, who turned out a completely surprise of how well she interacts with him. Unexpected but certainly a must need because ironically speaking, she is more mature than both male protagonists.
Said that, it really hurts that it did not received the love that it deserved during summer of 2016 since The Nice Guys was created with the purpose of setting up a new movie franchise in the steps of Lethal Weapon. But even with great reviews, it failed to live up to expectations after only grossing $ 62.8 million dollars worldwide. With a $ 50 million budget plus approximately $ 100 million to promote the film, it became inevitable for the studio to not greenlight a sequel.
But over time, it gained popularity thanks to the performances of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, and their shared chemistry between them and the rest of the cast, with Margaret Qualley (The Substance) and Ty Simpkins (The Whale) standing out after their latest were nominated. Not bad for their careers, outside the superhero genre.
Nobody thought Russell and Ryan would bring something fresh and hilarious, but that is what Director and writer Shane Black does every time he gets free rein. He brings unique, sarcastic and witty stories that somehow connects with our emotions in an unforgettable and fashionable way. Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2, The Last Boy Scout, Last Action Hero and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang are his hits while he had his misses with Iron Man 3 and The Predator. It seems that doing sequels for established franchises are not his thing, which it is a win for us, especially if we are getting underrated movies like The Nice Guys.
From the start, I pointed out that this was Ryan’s film, and it would be wrong to say that it bears his signature, because he was established as a Ladies Man thanks to The Notebook and Crazy Stupid Love. Nobody knew his foolish side, his screaming and about all, his suicidal and sensitive issues. Opposite to Russell expected toughness, pure raw straight force as expected since his awards winning portrayal on Maximus on Gladiator.
Now that I see it, they are water and oil. Never to be blended but somehow, they make it work in every scene that they share together, and having Angourie in the mix makes this journey even better that I would have ever anticipated taking into account that the context deals with sex, drugs, dope, pollution, porn, divorce, death, political conspiracy and fraud… you get the picture.
Without a doubt, the best representation of the seventies. Shane’s direction here was remarkable. From every perspective, everything is executed perfectly. Costumes, art, music, cinematography, sound, fashion, food... Honestly, Shane’s team deserved a lot of credit for bringing to life all the cultural references that define that era. It is shame we only appreciate the 1980s and 1990’s
Some of the moments that I truly enjoyed watching all over again was when Holland cuts himself after his failed attempt to open a door, it was so stupid every minute of it. Telling to himself that it is so much blood, was priceless. That and the line about looking for Amelia instead of Jesus. By the way, he did give it a good use to Christ’s name.
When Jackson breaks Holland’s arm and he scream in a Mexican mariachi way, I lost it completely. Really, I don’t know how he did it, but he is hilarious on all his high-pitched screams, being my favorite the dream sequence. This by far was the highlight, I really thought Jackson had an angle gun after that. Well, it did help build the tension toward the end and watching Gosling going to Russell’s feet, made it impossible to contain my laugh.
Also, it is impossible to forget when Gosling tries to close the bathroom door with a gun and a magazine in his hands, even Russell could not resist. That and Ryan swimming with the mermaids under the excuse that he was interrogating them. I don’t know how they came up with the corpse scene. That and seeing their scared faces when they witness the assassination inside The Western Hotel.
And what about the Nixon anecdote? Clearly Ryan had the most fun of all, one moment he is drunk and falling and the other making all types of mistakes. But what I love about his character is that deep inside, he is a good man, a hurting one and that is where Angourie as Holly comes in, to give it a serious tone, to complement the humor with drama. This girl is amazing in all of her scenes, serving as Jackson’s conscious in a manner of speaking.
We also are treated to great action sequences thanks to Matt Bomer as the assassin John Boy. He nails each scene because he just looks so dawn cool unleashing hell on our heroes. We have another antagonist, Kim Basinger but she is more used as a political figure, connecting to the topic of Global Warming, a reality well discussed when Jackson and Holland questions the “dead” protesters. Again, Shane just knows how to pull this.
It is surprising how the story can become thoughtful, as both main characters grapple with serious issues. One has a failed marriage and the other is a widower, both responsible for their failures. And when they talk about it, they learned as we also do. That is right, The Nice Guys have kind souls after all, and are built on relationships. Come to think about it, this has always been the main theme on Shane films.
I want to believe that it was bad timing that made this film into a Box Office Flop, it competed directly with Neighbors 2 and The Angry Birds Movie. Both share the same audience. Besides, Captain America: Civil War had become a huge hit and was maintaining his momentum during his fourth weekend when The Nice Guys opened.
It is also worth mentioning that Shane Black had just finished promoting Iron Man 3, and while this Marvel’s sequel went on to gross a billion dollars, it was considered a disappointment of which The Nice Guys ended up paying the price. So, if you haven’t seen it yet… What are you waiting for?
The reason why we have been getting mainly superheroes films or a lot of sequels, prequels and spinoffs is because they guarantee profits for the studios. The Nice Guys did not come from a reboot or a stablish franchise, it was completely original and we need more of that today. Therefore, I want to encourage you to support these unusual and naïve visions so that future directors and screenwriters, like Shane Black, can bring us fresh, creative content of the highest quality possible like The Nice Guys.
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