The Comedy Duo of the Year is...Crowe and Gosling?

Rating: 8/10 (28 May 2016)

In the late 1900s, there was a very particular genre of film that had a ubiquitous presence at cinemas and the box office: the good-ole fashioned action-buddy-comedy. From 48 Hours to Rush Hour, it's a mindlessly entertaining genre, known as much for its cozy saxophone scores and cheesy emotions as for its ridiculous explosions and fun patter. The Nice Guys mixes these familiar feels with the gloss of a (less-layered and more accessible) Coen Bros film, giving us a seedy and comfortably familiar noir-caper, full of big characters and bigger laughs. Through a series of chance meetings and unlikely alliances, two men barely on the right side of the law in 1970s L.A. join forces to try to locate and protect a young woman. While tonally the film is very 80s, the 70s L.A. setting perfectly shines with grimy detail. Crowe and Gosling, donned in loud suits and ill-advised facial hair, fall right into place. Both of them are super-funny and clearly enjoying themselves, eating up scenes filled with more character than you can shake a pimp's stick at, and getting to play with dialogue worth dying for. That brainy banter is a large part of director/write Black's signature style. With only 3 directing credits to his name (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3), his fearless confidence with his characters and scripts is admirable in our increasingly play-it-safe action-movie world. The Nice Guys is pure and simple fun that deserves to be supported if for no other reason than to get to see these three dudes team up for more hilarious misadventures in the future.