Although it appears as a pilot for a TV series (since it screams for sequel(s)), this movie can remain "as is". It is fun to watch, most of the time something happens, some dark jokes and the "dynamic duo". Mr. Gosling finally shows his acting abilities (pretty good, for that matter) and Mr. Crowe' s art is not affected by aging. On the contrary. He does not have to be some Roman general to do his job with excellency. Story is a bit mumbo-jumbo, but direction is good. Also, the Australian girl (Angourie Rice) has a bright future, if she does not blow it. Yaya DaCosta is beautiful and Ms. Basinger still has it. All in all, worth your time. Go for it.

This abortion of a film represents everything that is awful about Hollywood today. Obviously directed by some 20-something, spoiled brat who thought that showing kids using four letter words and being sexual, would make this piece of crap "edgy." Well it doesn't. Pathetic jokes that flop, and desperate attempts to shock with pointless nudity, are what this film is all about. Supposedly set in the 70's it even fails at that; the movie looks patently 2016. It tries to be sexy and comes across as pathetic. I'm sure this one scored points at frat houses throughout America. As a fan of everything 70's, this movie made me kind of sick. Definitely the worst thing Gosling has ever attached himself too, and Russell Crowe's career remains firmly in the toilet with this one. The saddest thing is the high score this thing has; has the intelligence level of the masses really declined this much? So sad..

When a film made in the present day attempts to recreate a bygone era, I am immediately wary as more often than not they completely fail and in turn fail altogether as a movie. The Nice Guys is not one of these films and not only does it truly embody the 1970s, it creates a compelling narrative with relatable, realistic characters who work well off each other. The story follows Ryan Gosling's Holland March, an alcoholic, chain-smoking private eye attempting to keep his and his daughter's lives from falling apart after a fire killed his wife and destroyed his home, and Russell Crowe's Jackson Healy, an under-the-table muscle-for-hire reeling from the betrayal of his wife, or rather ex-wife, sleeping with his father. The audience is instantly thrust into the story with a car crashing through a house being the opening of the film. When infamous pornstar Misty Mountains is killed in the crash, this leads March and Healy down a rabbit hole of conspiracy that encompasses the porn industry, Los Angeles, Detroit, and the United States Federal Government. This film's production design, costume design, set pieces, and soundtrack should truly be lauded and honestly both the production designer and costume designer should have been nominated for Oscars. The screenplay for this film was another great strength for this film with just the right amount of seemingly unintentional jokes and cursing to be both believable and appear natural without coming across as over-the-top. Lastly, the acting in this film is phenomenal and I would love to see Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe act together in many other films in the future. They play so well off of each other and the banter between them comes across as so real it's as if we're watching a natural interaction between two people. The only complaints I had about this film was Angourie Rice's performance as Holly March, Holland's daughter, whose performance at times came across as annoying but not to the point where I wished she wasn't in the film, and a few instances that seemed to be completely unrealistic but which I can forgive as they don't take away from the narrative as a whole. Overall, this film is everything a filmmaker looking to make a film based in a past decade should aspire to make and is one of the film's I credit with my desire to make films based in the 60s and 70s.

Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are paired in a crime thriller set in 1970s Los Angeles which contains more than its fair share of laughs.Private detective Holland March, engaged on a missing person case, is warned off when hired muscle Jackson Healy beats him up. The two are forced to join forces to search for Amelia, who has become involved in porn - sorry, make that "experimental movies."Shane (Iron Man 3) Black directs and co-writes this period crime thriller in which Ryan Gosling is March and a rather tubby Russell Crowe is Healy. A tolerable crime thriller plot engages the attention throughout, while this pair stumble their way through the search for Amelia. Neither is especially good at their job but fortunately (or, perhaps, unfortunately), March's 13-year old daughter Holly takes it upon herself to assist them from time to time.That's not all, though. If you've seen the trailer, you will know that, although this film has a serious plot, not everything about the delivery is straight-faced. The humour includes some funny dialogue and some great knockabout business and I was delighted to discover that Gosling, who I have previously found to be rather expressionlessly one-note in his previous work, has a definite flair for comedy. I chuckled often, and laughed out loud several times.Yet the jeopardy is quite real, and isn't played for laughs. There is always some genuine danger involved, which means you have an emotional investment in these two well-meaning but somewhat inept sleuths.The action is well-staged, the period feel is authentic (starting with the opening music, very Shaft-theme), Crowe and Gosling have an effective on-screen chemistry, and the cast are all good, especially Angourie Rice, who plays March's daughter Holly. She holds the screen whenever she's on it: keep your eye on her career, she's going places.If I was to criticise, I would say that there is relatively little substance here: the engaging performances and witty script elevate the film above its natural level. And the profanity in it doesn't always service the storytelling: there is much swearing which is here for no other reason than Because F*ck.But this is an entertaining movie with much in it to justify recommendation.