*Spoiler free*
I’ll admit that I’m fairly late to the The Nice Guys train but better late than never. I watched this movie for the first time in the summer of 2021—a solid 5 years after its initial release. I’m not sure how it slipped past my radar for so long because the entire premise seems so up my alley. But alas, I’m here now and I am fully on board.
The Nice Guys premiered in theaters on May 26th, 2016, starring Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, and many others. It follows Holland March (Ryan Gosling), a former-cop-turned-private-eye, who becomes unlikely partners with Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), an “enforcer” who gets hired to beat up bad guys, in search of an impressively elusive teenage girl named Amelia. The problem is, in 1977 Los Angeles, they aren’t the only ones looking for her.
My Thoughts
It’s quite obvious by now that I love this movie. And while this blog might therefore sound like raving instead of reviewing, hear me out.
The story starts out when Jackson Healy is hired by Amelia to stop these men who are following her around. Healy’s here to make her feel safe, for the right price at least, and he revels in his lonesome work until his search for Amelia’s stalkers leads him to Holland. Holland has his reasons for seeking out Amelia and you find out that there is much more to her than you think. Healy, who prefers to work alone is now not only forced to work with a partner when Amelia herself can no longer be found, but forced to work with a pitiful incompetent loser. Craziness ensues including but not limited to wild ’70s nude parties, a dive into the 1970s Los Angeles porno industry, a lot of alcohol consumption, and more falling than you’d think possible in a two-hour movie.
Some criticisms of The Nice Guys that I have seen include the aimlessness of the plot, how repetitive the comedy is, and how conveniently things get discovered or solved. I will concede that there are undeniable truths to these criticisms but I think that’s kind of the point. There’s no thinking, there’s no order, and there’s no fleshing out of plot points or characters. Everything is spelled out in absurd dialogue and pointless fight scenes. It’s wacky and implausible because the characters are wacky and implausible. So many things shouldn’t make sense and yet they do because the characters just make it work. They make this stupid, ridiculous, funny plot work so well. So let’s meet them.
Holland March
One thing the movie immediately wants you to understand is that Holland is pathetic. And I mean very pathetic. Ever since his wife’s death, of which Holland blames himself for, he’s gone down a spiral. What’s not to love; he’s a barely-functioning alcoholic, never keeps his word, and scams old ladies to keep food on the table.
Yet you are drawn to him, you root for him, and most of all, you wonder how he is still standing on two feet. But of course, pretty quickly we are introduced to one of the main reasons he’s not six feet under; Holly, his thirteen-year-old daughter.
Holly March
Holly is witty and too smart for her own good. And yet, she retains this child-like innocence that you wouldn’t expect from a girl who has experienced what she has. She’s sassy, brave, and despite her constant disappointment in her father, their relationship is so heartwarming. I especially loved her bond with Healy. It’s safe to say Holly is one of my favorite parts of the movie.
There are many characters that have funny and memorable scenes with Holly that I wish to discuss but to keep this blog at a reasonable length and spoiler-free, let’s focus on our third and final main character; the “enforcer”.
Jackson Healy
Like every other character in this movie, Healy is morally gray. He’s a hitman without the murder. He takes money from teenage girls without hesitation but he beats up bad guys and “keeps his customers safe”. He’ll crack your ribs without breaking a sweat but he always has an instinct to do what’s right. Is he good or bad? He’s neither and he’s both. He’s Healy and you just have to accept him as is.
It is hard to imagine that this movie would have worked this well without the outstanding performances from Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. There’s no need to wonder however because they did portray these characters and they killed it. I was never really aware of Gosling as an actor but he’s two for two in my books with La La Land and The Nice Guys so I will be tuning into whatever he takes on next.
Final Verdict
The Nice Guys was ridiculous and stupid and I loved every minute.
Go watch it if you haven’t. I promise you’ll enjoy it.
Haliyah 