Review of The Nice Guys (2016) by Quinnton U — 06 Aug 2017

I walked into this movie expecting to grin at witty dialoguw and unfortunate circumstances between russel crowe and ryan gosling, two actors whose characters were advertised so well in the trailer that I had to see this movie.

Im not a guy who actually bursts out laughing quite often but this film certainly had my friends taken aback by my actual laugh. The film opens with a simple phrase along the lines of "kids these days are fucked up" which perfectly sums up the youth in this film.

Not only did shane black pulls some outstanding performances from the amount of youthful actors, but the absurdity with which the language and scenarios that childreb happen to be present at make it that much more hilarious.

Most notably is the young gal playing Gosling's daughter, a blend of sweet, responsible, and hardened, she is a motivation not simply for multiple characters but also the plot and I found it very refreshing and enjoyable.

Having said this, I must say the plot wasnt all too great in its entirety. The idea of sex, drugs and rebellion rampant in the 70s is a pretty common idea that I feel this film addresses in a unique and fun way, but by juggling multiple villainous faces and a girl's deadly secret for so long, the reveal and the resolution fall short from satisfying, yet embraces realism and loss that most cinematic plots do not.

Another step back in the film is the absence of addressing major factors in the character's lives; such is the case with why does russell crowe do what he does, only partially addressing his action to kill a man.

Even more jarring is gosling's character's apparent alcoholism and depression that certainly steals an entire scene but is ultimately shrugged off. These small factors are clear yet do not damage the humor and the chemistry between the characters that had me laughing my ass off at nearly every scene.