In a boring, sequel-filled summer, the sheer ingenuity of “The Nice Guys” is a refreshing change of pace.
Directed and co-written by Shane Black, this raunchy new action comedy is a dark, farcical take on the buddy cop genre. A pair of men meet, clash egos and inevitably team up. While simply trying to do their jobs, they accidentally find themselves caught in the middle of a perplexing mystery that is bigger than either could have imagined.
Yet “The Nice Guys” is far more unique than this synopsis would suggest. In fact, it isn’t really a buddy cop film in any respect other than its general murder-mystery plot structure; it actually features private investigators as its protagonists rather than police officers.
During the late 1970s, a porn star named Misty Mountains dies suddenly in a car crash in the suburbs of Los Angeles. At roughly the same time, private investigators Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) and Holland March (Ryan Gosling) cross paths in pursuit of Amelia (Margaret Qualley), a girl gone missing.
Despite the film’s title, the protagonists are not nice guys. Healy is a gruff, masculine veteran who will beat and intimidate others without a second thought; March is a goofy and easily rattled single father who will unrepentantly cheat old ladies out of their money.
After first fighting each other, Healy and March collaborate to find Amelia, fearing that her life may be in danger. From a smog protest to a massive house party hosted by members of the porn industry, Healy and March gradually uncover an increasingly curious mystery. Always along for the ride is March’s daughter, Holly (Angourie Rice), who just so happens to be a better detective than either of the private investigators.
Holly’s mere presence may sound like a gimmick at first, but it actually is what holds the narrative together. Refusing to stay home, Holly’s persistent involvement keeps the plot moving and provides the emotional and moral centerpiece. Add in Angourie Rice’s surprisingly impressive performance, and Holly becomes arguably the best part of the film.
That’s not to discredit the other successful facets of “The Nice Guys.” Black’s dialogue is sharp and intelligent, finding subtle humor while simultaneously directing the plot. Gosling, charismatic and funny as always, manages to imbue a sincere humanity in his goofy representation of March. But what truly makes the film enjoyable is the pleasure of watching Crowe and Gosling’s casual but charming rapport develop as Healy and March stumble through the mystery, with hints, clues and even people magically appearing right before their eyes.
Although these absurd revelations sometimes play as humorous coincidences, the narrative’s general tendency to solve itself undermines its impact. Rather than Healy and March actively solving this farcical mystery, the mystery unravels itself to them, making them generally passive characters. Simply put: Healy and March don’t do things; things happen to them. Combine that with the film’s slow pacing and the result is, at times, a modestly unsatisfying drag.
“The Nice Guys” also fails to offer any rounded characters other than its protagonists, with everyone else becoming fairly one- or two-dimensional.
Admittedly, Black’s narrative is not intended to arouse curiosity and satisfaction through its mystery, but rather to foster amusement at the clumsiness of his main characters. And his secondary characters aren’t meant to be much more than caricatures, as “The Nice Guys” is almost exclusively about its protagonists.
In these regards, “The Nice Guys” succeeds. It might not make you laugh out loud, but Black’s latest action comedy is still amusing.
**MOVE gives “The Nice Guys” 3 out of 5 stars.**