Ryan Gosling got some well-deserved props recently for his stellar comedic work in 2023’s Barbie, but die-hard fans of the actor know he’s excelled at comedy for years. Just look at his impressive work in Crazy, Stupid, Love. or one of his many guest stints on Saturday Night Live. The dude can crack a joke like no other.
But nothing compares to his great performance as inept private detective Holland March in the criminally underseen movie, The Nice Guys. The buddy-action movie was a flop when it was released in 2016, but has since gained a devoted cult following. It deserves it as the film is equal parts thrilling and hilarious, with a cast that really brings it and an ending that begs for a sequel.
The Nice Guys is leaving Netflix soon, and here are just a few of the many reasons why you should check it out.
What Is ‘The Nice Guys’ About?
It’s Los Angeles circa 1977, and a porn star named Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio) has been murdered in the Hollywood Hills. Holland is hired by the woman’s aunt to find out who killed her. He runs into Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), a brute who is hired by Amelia (Margaret Qualley) to protect her from being interrogated by Holland. Amelia holds the key to solving Misty’s death, and soon, the two men team up to solve the mystery of Misty’s murder.
Their quest leads them to a private party in a mansion full of shady characters, a highway car chase that almost kills them and a showdown at an auto show that involves several shootouts and a perilous plunge from a skyscraper. Amidst all this chaos, Holland finds the time to take his pre-teen daughter to a bowling alley for a birthday party and bond with Jackson over beers in a seedy bar.
There’s a lot more to The Nice Guys, like an explosive film that everyone wants to watch or destroy, a dark secret Amelia’s mother Judith (Kim Basinger) is hiding and the untimely end of someone named Blueface, but one of the movie’s strengths is experiencing all the plot’s zigs and zags without any spoilers. The plot is dense, but it’s never hard to follow. It’s clear who did what and why.
‘The Nice Guys’ Works as Both an Action Movie and a Comedy
Two men and two girls lean in toward the camera in The Nice Guys. Warner Bros.
It’s difficult to pull off an effective action movie and a comedy by themselves, but to make a successful blend of both is nearly impossible. But like The Sting and Lethal Weapon before it, The Nice Guys pulls it off with wit and style.
That’s largely due to writer-director Shane Black, who specializes in this sort of thing. He wrote the first Lethal Weapon, and he was also behind The Last Boy Scout and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He knows how far you should take the action and how much comedy you can include between all the shootouts and car crashes without overdoing either one.
It helps that the action in The Nice Guys is vaguely cartoonish; no one could survive the violent encounters the two men frequently get into, and that allows enough room for Gosling and Crowe to crack a joke or two. Black finds a delicate balance between seriousness (Holland really does care for his daughter) and zaniness (the end sequence alone is straight out of Looney Tunes), and everyone in the cast is on the same wavelength.
The Chemistry Between Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe Can’t Be Beat
A man leans over another man in The Nice Guys. Warner Bros.
What makes The Nice Guys ultimately work is Gosling and Crowe, who develop an oddball chemistry that is just right for the material they are working with. Gosling’s Holland is a loser — he can’t even break a glass window without screwing up and cutting himself, causing him to bleed all over the place he’s supposed to be breaking into. But he’s also a devoted father who chastises his daughter for not using proper English.
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It’s that unexpected quality of Holland’s that makes Crowe’s bruiser help him, which makes both men bond when they aren’t dodging punches and switchblades. The movie plays to both actors’ strengths: Crowe is gruff and macho while Gosling is sweet and silly. The two characters complement each other, and so do the actors who play them.
‘The Nice Guys’ Gets the Period Setting Just Right
A quick nod must be given to the film’s excellent evocation of a particular time and place not commonly seen in modern movies. Los Angeles in the late 1970s isn’t given much of a spotlight nowadays, and part of the appeal of The Nice Guys is to see it recreated so faithfully.
The sunny California paradise you’d expect is instead a smog-filled hellhole full of tract housing, seedy bars and chintzy hotel rooms. Even the mansions have a faded glimmer to them — it’s as if someone put a layer of dirt over everything, which makes sense given the movie’s themes of widespread corruption.
It’s in this environment that Holland and Jackson feel right at home. With their faded Hawaiian shirts, polyester pants and unkempt facial hair, Crowe’s characters are very much men of their moment, and their distinctive visuals are matched by their memorable personalities.
When Is ‘The Nice Guys’ Leaving Netflix?
A man sits in a tub in The Nice Guys. Warner Bros.
You have until April 1 to watch The Nice Guys before it leaves Netflix for an unknown amount of time. And who knows when it will be back? So make some time this weekend and watch one of the most entertaining movies of the last decade.
