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Trust Weighted
Really Great
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83Trust Points
Wick's Review
Summary - Really Great 4.5
The Nice Guys, a 21st century spoof of Seventies LA, delivers classic big-screen entertainment, led by big-time moviestars Russell Crowe & Ryan Gosling. Shane Black, the Hollywood writer behind Lethal Weapon 1, 2, 3 & 4, wrote and directed this change-up curve that hits the strike zone. Action-crime-comedies-r-him.
It’s got crazy comedic energy, full of sideways bon mots and surreal touches, some being dream scenes. Significant energy does get lost as the faux Chinatown plot gets revealed. Hollywood is nothing if not PC.
But let’s not quibble. Black’s new movie is a terrific paean to the 70s, a significantly better one than David O. Russell’s American Hustle, the other recent entrant in the rollicking 1970s Crime Comedy category.
It’s gotta be said, The Nice Guys are mighty pleasant company at the movie theater. Cheap-thrills-r-them.
Acting - Great 4.0
Russell Crowe & Ryan Gosling are classically mismatched buddies, the latest in a long line of oddball Detective Partners. These great moviestars usually work alone, so it’s a treat to see them work together.
Crowe plays an Enforcer, Gosling a mostly inept Private Dick. The comedy largely falls to the younger Gosling, who rises to the challenge, delivering a deftly funny performance that generates several LOLs.
- Angourie Rice tartly plays Gosling’s teen daughter, a precocious girl.
- Matt Bomer looms menacingly as an out-of-town hitman.
- Margaret Qualley disappoints as the hottest girl in L.A.
- Murielle Telio cameos as porn star Misty Mountains.
- Keith David menaces as a profesional hitman.
- Kim Basinger phones it in as a DoJ bigwig.
Male Stars - Perfect 5.0
Female Stars - Very Good 3.5
Female Costars - Good 3.0
Male Costars - Very Good 3.5
Film - Really Great 4.5
Shane Black is on some kinda roll, with this his fourth directorial effort, albeit his 14th produced script. The Nice Guys comes three years after the outstanding Iron Man 3, which he also wrote and directed.
The guy is straight up money.
Direction - Really Great 4.5
Dialogue - Really Great 4.5
Shane Black gave Anthony Bagarozzi cowriting credit, his first ever writing credit. Hmmm.Music - Perfect 5.0
h5. Perfect Seventies Soundtrack: Some rock, some suck, all were big. * _PAPA WAS A ROLLIN' STONE_ - The Temptations * _MUSKRAT LOVE_ - Captain & Tennille * _ROCK AND ROLL ALL NITE_ - KISS * _COULDN'T GET IT RIGHT_ - Climax Blues Band * _BOOGIE WONDERLAND_ - Earth Wind & Fire * _SEPTEMBER_ - Earth Wind & Fire * _JIVE TALKIN'_ - The Bee Gees * _GET DOWN ON IT_ - Kool & The Gang * _BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE_ - A Taste of Honey * _AIN'T GOT NO HOME_ - The Band * _THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA_ * _A HORSE WITH NO NAME_ - America * _LONELY BOY_ - Andrew Gold * _ESCAPE (The Piña Colada Song)_ - Rupert Holmes * _LOVE AND HAPPINESS_ - Al GreenVisuals - Perfect 5.0
"Brian is absolutely right about the set.":http://www.viewguide.com/movie_reviews/4387-the-nice-guysEdge - Sordid 3.0
Sex Titillating 2.5
Violence Brutal 3.0
Rudeness Nasty 3.6
Reality - Glib 2.0
Circumstantial - Surreal 2.5
Biological - Glib 2.0
Physical - Glib 1.5
1 Comment
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Wick May 23, 2016 12:29AM
Regarding BrianSez’s Review
“The fifth star in the movie was the set. 70’s perfection it was.” Primo line.As to a sequel, I believe they did leave that door open. Make it two votes.