The Nice Guys - Movie Review

Pornography, guns, and a 70’s car show….sounds a lot like the plot for next fourteen Fast and Furious films. (Fast and Furious 9: Fast to the Future – you heard it here first folks). Yet, here we are dealing with a sort of mystery-comedy film and a fantastic one at that.

For a comedy film, the plot is quite serious though the characters, suitably, are not. Ryan Gosling is Howard March, a private investigator and the “worst detective in the world” according to his own daughter (played by the young Angourie Rice). Fate conspires to unite him with Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), a hired hand who beat anyone up for the right amount of money, though their first meeting does not proceed as you would expect. Somehow, they work through these differences and they are united to try and find a girl, Amelia (Margaret Qualley), who has mysteriously disappeared. We follow the heroes as they attempt to track her down, ultimately uncovering a conspiracy (without giving too much away) involving pornography, government and the car industry. As you would expect, this potent cocktail means bad guys are too on Amelia’s trail and, most worryingly, everyone else involved in the case starts turning up dead. The plot is cleverly written and has several unexpected twists and it all runs rather smoothly through, despite our bumbling heroes’ (particularly March’s) attempts to find the answers.

Underneath all of this, there is a father-daughter relationship as March’s offspring Holly is involved in the case. Seemingly more capable than her father, she stars in several of the film’s funny moments, as well as its main emotional pull-strings, and plays a good role in pushing the plot along too. Arguably, the film is not that far off being a star trio with only her age stopping her being a bigger role in the movie. The strength of the duo cannot be underestimated though.

I never thought I’d see the day Gosling and Crowe were the perfect comedy duo but the day has indeed come. Gosling’s character is the lazy, money-grabbing investigator with a serious drinking problem and this ties in very nicely with Crowe’s bad guy enforcer with a good heart underneath, honest guv. March carries most of the comedic value, but it is Healy who keeps him grounded and keeps the plot moving (as he is the more capable of the two), so both are invaluable to the cause.

Speaking of the comedy, the range in the film is fantastic. It ranges from jokes about cocks to clever wordplay to classic slapstick comedy. This movie should appeal to all who have a sense of humour. I had several laugh out loud moments during the film and many more where I couldn’t resist cracking a smile. An example, which won’t spoil the plot at all is when March remarks: “So let me get this straight: You made a porn movie in which the point was the plot?”

This movie blends the comedy in seamlessly into the action and this makes it a very enjoyable spectacle. I wholehearted recommend anyone with a (slightly warped) sense of humour to watch this immediately. A guilty pleasure. I enjoyed this production immensely and heavily recommend it to all.

Summary: The Nice Guys is a great blend of mystery, comedy and action just like an evening at the Blind Wifeswappers’ Club (I imagine, obviously). Crowe and Gosling are the perfect comedy duo in a world where pornography, cars and conspiracy collide. A feel-good treat. 9/10.

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