A brilliantly hilarious film with timeless set and costume design makes this a contender for the easiest movie to recommend to any type of person that exists. Ryan Gosling’s comedic instincts playing off of Russell Crowe’s stoic demeanour create one of the greatest combinations in the “buddy cop” genre. There is a brilliant assortment of side characters, with a special shoutout to Angourie Rice, who plays Holly and has such a brilliant on-screen dynamic with her father, played by Gosling. From excellent dialogue banter to small aspects like the fact she drives him around, it feels like something from The Naked Gun. In fact, while the comedic sensibilities differ in their joke format—avoiding puns and misdirection as a central format for its comedic moments—I do feel there is a spiritual link between The Nice Guys and The Naked Gun (complimentary).
One decision that I absolutely love was the decision to set the film in the 70s while not overly committing to making it completely period-correct in a way that might date the film. By avoiding period-relevant reference jokes, they have created a film that truly feels like it creates its own identity.
The only thing that would make this a perfect film for me is if there were a more compelling villain. I understand that ultimately this is a film more about following the duo as they unravel the mystery, and the main point of conflict pushing the film forward is that pursuit. But ultimately, something more engaging would have sealed this film as not only an S-tier comedy but an S-tier film overall.
This film is absolutely brilliant, easily on the Mount Rushmore of modern comedies for me, and a wholehearted recommendation. Typically I write longer reviews, but I will keep this simple. Movie funny, movie look good, acting good, plot fun and engaging, relationships deep but still lighthearted/jovial.
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