Hilarious! Lethal Weapon Meets Miami Vice Meets That's 70 Show

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2016)

I saw this trailer months ago and from the minute I first saw it I knew I was going to see this film. I knew I was going to love this film. I knew I was going to buy this film so I could watch it over and over again. I can count on one hand the number of times I felt that way just about a trailer. I'm writing this post to tell you that I was right. It was awesome!
Now I did admit earlier that I see all Ryan Gosling films, but let me be clear, that is not the only reason I saw this film. I saw this film because I also enjoy Russell Crowe, love buddy cop films, thought the plot/script looked hilarious, and I mean just watch the trailerðŸ˜€
The Nice Guys is about muscle-man PI Jackson Healy (Crowe) who ends up working with a drunk P.I. Holland March (Gosling) to learn the truth behind the death of the famous porn star, Misty Mountains. The case is made more complicated by March's precocious daughter Holly (Angourie Rice) and the realization that the government is involved in a cover-up and it all comes down to finding a young girl, Amelia.
It's Lethal Weapon meets The Man From UNCLE meets Miami VIce meets That 70's Show meets its own unique style.
It is obvious that Crowe is the action and Gosling is the comedy, but that does not mean they switch roles every once in awhile. It is a screwball comedy about two guys that really don't know what they're doing, and yet, cannot seem to stop. They keep tripping over clues and colliding into bad guys until they finally figure it all out.
Admittedly there are some slow parts, I was hoping it would be consistently funny (like The Man From UNCLE remake), but it lagged in places. However, in terms of the comedy and overall enjoyment of the film I'd still give it an A (just perhaps on the lower end of the scale).
What makes this film so funny is that during the parts that didn't lag, it was non-stop/back-to- back/can't-catch-your-breath funny. It's all about the little things. Such as March's drunkenness falling down a hill and stumbling onto a dead body, or March chasing after a bad guy only to smack into a car door that pushes him into another car hood that makes him trip onto the bad guy. The police work is a gamble and the violence is more lucky shots.
For example: March and Healy are held at gunpoint by a "bad guy" (I'm avoiding spoilers), so March's daughter comes in and pours the coffee pot onto the "bad guy". Nothing happens, because Holly thought it would be hot coffee, but it had been sitting there for a while. Next the "bad guy" goes to take a step toward March and Healy only to trip on the cold coffee spill around their feet and fall, knocking themselves out.
Somehow everything works out in their favor. Even though it is completely ridiculous you can't help but love it, because the film makes no apologizes and gives fair warning that it is ridiculous. That's part of its charm.