Stupid, Stupid, Stupid

Rating: Null/10 (20 September 2016)

"The Nice Guys" had pretensions to be a slapstick-style film like "Naked Gun." Unfortunately, it fell flat with a convoluted plot, weak laugh lines, and poor chemistry among the actors.
Films like "Naked Gun" or "Airport" can be great fun, as they build farcical scenes around star actors playing inept cops, pilots, and criminals. But Russell Crowe and Ryan Gossling failed to meet the threshold of performing in the broad comic style. Their characters, who were two incompetent L.A. private eyes, were far too understated. They needed coaching in the broader style of acting.
The scripting of "The Nice Guys" also foundered on poorly delineated secondary roles, such as that of Kim Basinger, who plays the "heavy" as the corrupt official from the Justice Department. Her scenes brought the film down to an even lower depth of dullness.
The filmmakers should have started their work by simply taking the time to view the "Naked Gun" series and to study how Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker found the ability to put together a decent film farce.