The Nice Guys is a lot of fun. A private-eye mystery-comedy, the film, directed by Shane Black to a script by himself and Anthony Bagarozzi, stars Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Keith David and Kim Basinger.
Despite the many laughs, The Nice Guys is highly uneven on multiple levels. The plot is sketchy, seemingly hesitant between being a complete parody and taking itself seriously at times. In terms of acting, while Crowe and Gosling are hilarious in their interactions, the rest of the supporting cast does mediocre job at best. They deliver lines in an all too melodramatic fashion; serving mostly as a distraction. I am not sure if the cast is at fault or whether this was misguided direction by Black.
On the upside, The Nice Guys revives the odd couple / forced-to-be-buddies genre, bringing to mind films such as Beverly Hills Cop with Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold, and Lethal Weapon with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.
The Nice Guys is a film that could have been done much better, but at least Crowe and Gosling elevate it to a more than tolerable level. I would not be surprise if a sequel will follow, pending the film’s success at the box office.