A sleazey investigation, ‘The Nice Guys’ aren’t so nice

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If Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling star as private eyes in a movie, we expect the suave and debonair gents to work the tuxedo crowd.

Not here, not by a long shot. Crowe looks more like a “fat Elvis,” while Gosling is a foul-mouthed, drunken, chain-smoking, dimwit. Together they work the seedy side of 1977 Los Angeles in this unique film noir.

Clearly earning its “R” rating with a barrage of violence and vulgarity, director/co-writer Shane Black (“Lethal Weapon”) delves into the porn industry as the story setting. Single dad and P.I. Holland March (Gosling) keeps his gun in a cookie jar, as did James Garner in “The Rockford Files,” but steps the character down a notch of banality.

When March is hired to investigate the death of a famous porn star and locate a woman named Amelia, he meets an even more rude and crude P.I. named Jackson Healey (Crowe). Healey is a washed up gumshoe, stooping to any level to accomplish his goal. Sensing March to be a competitive threat, their initial meeting does not end well.

Realizing they need each other, Healey pursues March and finds him in a men’s room stall. In one of the most hilarious scenes, Gosling illustrates a newfound penchant for physical comedy. In this slapstick gag, March attempts to maintain a macho pose while continually driving himself further into a compromising position. Most of Gosling’s humor works quite effectively, but falls flat when he tries to mimic a Lou Costello routine.

This movie was initially proposed as a TV series, but when the pilot failed, it was re-tooled as a film. In the process, gratuitous sex, violence and profanity were included to attract a specific audience. The story is tolerable; but this movie is not about the plot as much as the dry, witty banter and camaraderie between these losers.

Together these slobs embark on a quest through a world of sleaze. Carrying a guarded truce, their partnership yields yet another mishap, March explains, “Look on the bright side, nobody got hurt.” When Healy responds, “People did get hurt,” March stammers, “I’m saying, I think they died quickly, so I don’t think they got hurt.” March’s 15 year-old daughter Holly (Angourie Rice) declares, “You’re the world’s worst detectives!”

The path leads the duo through a surreal adventure with bizarre characters and situations. During their investigation, they discover a corporate-governmental conspiracy may be in the works. Led by a scheming politician, played by Kim Basinger, the partners have trouble determining who is on which side of the case. As a side note, Basinger starred with Russell Crowe in L.A. Confidential (1997), which had a similar look and feel.

More important, the P.I.s repeatedly question their own motives and moral standards as to how far they should go, especially against the crazy goons trying to kill them. For some in the audience, Crowe and Gosling make this work as a buddy picture, but the plot is confusing, contrived and incoherent. This is the first film directed by Shane Black to not star Robert Downey Jr., but Black creates a similar style from his characters.

We understand the objective of setting a dark tone for the story, but suggest this might have worked as well or better without quite as much raw mayhem. Then, by including teenagers in the midst, the filmmakers present this lifestyle as socially acceptable. Eventually, the film too often glorifies the violence and vulgarity.

“The Nice Guys” is 116 minutes and rated R for violence, sexuality, nudity, language and drug use. It had so much potential, especially with the chosen buddies of Crowe and Gosling. This film is poorly produced, direction is sloppy and script writing seems lazy. The brutality and sleaze seems to provide style in lieu of actual substance.

In spite of its technical shortcomings, the pulp fiction aspect does work on some level for some people. The ending hints at a sequel, which we hope will be a chance to redeem the production team. We enjoyed the 70s music, classic cars and buddy banter. Next time, the film noir might be better in black and white, or at least fifty shades of gray.