Ryan Gosling has the time of his life in The Nice Guys (review)

This “spiritual sequel to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, by Shane Black, is worth the detour. She returns this Sunday evening on the L’team channel.

Presented in Cannes in May 2016, The Nice Guys returns to television. Not to be missed if you want to let off steam. Besides, Emily Blunt recommends it : in the middle of the promotion of The Fall Guyan action comedy in which she co-stars with Ryan Gosling, the actress proclaimed all the love she has for this crazy Shane Black film, miming a completely surreal scene from the actor.

The Nice Guys Didn't Get a Sequel Because of Angry Birds, Ryan Gosling Explains

First agrees with her: we have rarely seen Gosling having so much fun on screen! Here is our review published when it was released:

In December 2015, Shane Black presented The Nice Guys as “the spiritual sequel to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, a dark and clever comedy released ten years before. Its prequel, rather, if we want to play on words, since the investigation carried out by Ryan Gosling And Russell Crowe takes place in the 1970s. From the first minutes of the film, which gets off to a flying start, the director and screenwriter's promise is kept: the disappearance of a pretty girl in Hollywood forces two mismatched men to collaborate to try to find her. As Robert Downey Jr.., Gosling is a victim, a “punching ball” clumsy and not very smart who will be mistreated by the bully Crowe –when he doesn’t mutilate himself. This partner, who is as reminiscent of Val Kilmer of Kiss Kiss… that an exaggerated version of the swashbuckling cop from LA Confidential, will finally soften, revealing under its shell a heart as big as that. Largely thanks to the anti-hero's daughter (the young revelation Angourie Rice), who becomes part of their duo, even if it means breaking the codes of “buddy movie”, gender so dear to Shane Black. Great reader ofAgatha Christie, she manages to collect clues while her elders mix their brushes. Luckily there is one to make it work. “little gray cells” !

The limits of coolness
From drunken parties to improbable chases, The Nice Guys is rhythmic and cool, but it never lives up to its models (70's masterpieces like The Matrix Kiss Kiss…). No doubt because his heroes run more after a “Macguffin” that after a concrete killer, which makes the plot falsely complicated and weakens its outcome, that Russell replays a type of character that he has already explored well – no surprises in his acting, therefore, even if it suits him well – and above all that the valves are blowing less than usual. Even if some of them hit the mark (the whole scene of the “demonstration against the air” is a real lesson in absurd dialogue), the exchanges are overall less impactful than in The lethal Weaponto cite just one reference from Shane Black. The whole thing strangely contains too many very practical coincidences and “twists” predictable (the suitcase of money, Amélia's hysterical revelations, etc.)… A shame for the King of 80's screenwriters.

Ryan Gosling, king of comedy
The big strong point of this black comedy is ultimately its star, little seen in this register (The Big Short, Crazy, Studid Love…). Ryan Gosling is funny, especially when he exaggerates his Droopy expression or says stupid thoughts with the utmost seriousness. Impossible to resist taking notes on the theme of “porn is bad”, when he doesn't understand anything or starts to feel around his colleague looking for an imaginary gun. The crazy pleasure he takes in putting on the costume of this failed detective is infectious. In 2005, the freedom, the communicative joy of Robert Downey Jr. made his performance enjoyable in Kiss, Kiss ; syears reaching such heights, that of Ryan Gosling is definitely the coolest aspect of The Nice Guys.

On the same subject: The portrait of Shane Black

Trailer :