Abbott & Costello meet "Boogie Night" by way of "Lethal Weapon"

Rating: 9/10 (23 May 2016)

THE NICE GUYS (2016) ***1/2 Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Kim Basinger, Margaret Qualley, Yaya DaCosta, Keith David, Beau Knapp, Lois Smith, Murielle Telio, Gil Gerard. Abbott & Costello meet "Boogie Night" by way of "Lethal Weapon" could've been the pitch for this frequently funny buddy comedy action flick with Crowe and Gosling as two dicks (private eyes) who unlikely team up to investigate the murder of a porn star with conspiracy written all over it in Los Angeles circa 1977. Filmmaker Shane Black who collaborated on the rat-a-tat-tat screenplay with Anthony Bagarozzi delivers the goods and the pitch perfect chemistry of his leads are dead-on particularly Gosling in his porn 'stache and in touch with his inner Lou Costello (shrieks and one riotous slapstick sequence involving a fall and a corpse is epic). Nice to see Crowe dialing it back and enjoying himself as well as the tougher of the duo and making a hideous blue leather jacket look good.