June 23rd in Sheffield, OH. This picture received a 91% Rotten Tomatoes rating and has grossed $35 million against an $11 million budget to date. The film is directed by Shane Black who wrote the first two Lethal Weapon films and The Last Boy Scout. The fact that he wrote The Last Boy Scout is convenient here because The Nice Guys is pretty much a Last Boy Scout remake. Hear me out, Ryan Gossling is Holland March, an ex-cop turned down on his luck private eye. He's a widower and single father who's just a fun enough dad to keep from being a terrible parent (make no mistake, he's a terrible parent). March has a drinking problem and a teenage daughter who's way too mature for her age, copes with her mother's death better than her father and is crucial in helping solve the case.
In Last Boy Scout, Bruce Willis plays Joe Hallenbeck. A disgraced ex-secret service agent turned down on his luck private eye, who is divorced, drinks too much, has a teenage daughter who's way too mature for her age and is crucial in helping to solve the case. He's not a terrible parent because his ex-wife has custody (he ends up being framed for her murder) but he's a delinquent dad. The similarities are too close to overlook. Both films deal with government corruption (a crooked in senator in Last Boy Scout and a crooked Justice Department prosecutor in The Nice Guys) and have a sadistic weirdo henchmen...
Milo from The Last Boy Scout.
"Blueface" from The Nice Guys.
That still leaves Russell Crowe and Damon Wayans. Crowe plays Jackson Healy, a muscle for hire thug type with a good heart who strives to do better than intimidate people. Damon Wayans played Jimmy Alexander Dix, a disgraced ex-quarterback for the fictional LA Stallions. Different characters sure but they both have a good heart, help March/Hallenbeck get back to the good standing they once had. Each character is also a better parent to the daughters of March/Hallenbeck. The Healy/Dix characters also embody characteristics in the March/Hallenbeck characters. March and Dix are more or less goof balls capable of courage when the moment arises. Healy and Hallenbeck are both gruff tough guys who aren't opposed to hurting people. When Healy first meets March, he breaks his arm. Hallenbeck has a signature catch phrase before belting someone. To be honest, Healy is pretty much Bud White if Bud had broken up with Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger reference) and moved back to LA. Also, both films are whimsical despite being very violent
The convoluted plot of The Nice Guys revolves around the death of a porn star and her film crew. It seems the porn star and her crew knew about the pollution the auto industry is trying to hide in their upcoming trial against the DOJ. March and Healy follow leads that requires them to crash a Boogie Nights type party, dodge bullets, get involved with crooked government officials and uncover a larger criminal enterprise. All in a days work.
The acting is good, the pace of the film is fine and the 70's fashion was fun but there's a lot of talent going through the motions here. The film is set in 1977 but there are several background continuity gaffes. In one scene there's a Jaws billboard, a film released in 1975. There is a shot of Holly's (March's 13 year old daughter) room showing an orgy of evidence that she's a teenager in the 1970's. One such piece of evidence is a London Calling poster. That particular album by The Clash was not released until 1979. That's just the stuff that I remember. A 91% rating is way too high. This is not Shane Black's best work. It's very derivative. If you haven't seen this yet, wait until it comes out on HBO or Redbox. Don't pay full price for a film that's been done before.
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