The Nice Guys
Director: Shane Black
Year Released: 2016
Rating: 3.0
Two outcast detectives, single father Holland March (Ryan Gosling) and steely Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), end up working together to find a runaway girl named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) - whose mother (Kim Basinger) works for the Feds - and look into the apparent death of porn star Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio). What I initially feared would be dumb and formulaic is one of the funniest movies of the year - because of some sharp dialogue by screenwriters Black and Anthony Bagarozzi - that gets distracted for a few stretches (when the action lets up) but is clever enough with its sight gags and surprises and is willing to try bits that could fail but don't (a talking bumblebee ... out of nowhere!). The chemistry between Gosling and Crowe is undeniable, and Angourie Rice, playing Gosling's daughter (and chauffeur), is a total gem playing a '70's era, street-smart Nancy Drew.
