The Nice Guys: 10 Reasons It's The Most Overrated Film Of The Year
9. Crowe & Gosling Have Some Chemistry, But Not Enough
Shane Black's movies are all about the chemistry. Robert Downey, Jr. and Val Kilmer had chemistry. Hell, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover had enough chemistry to power four movies. What Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling have in The Nice Guys comes close to chemistry, but it's not quite there; whether it's down to the actors or the script, I'm not entirely sure, but something isn't quite right here.
Don't get me wrong: Crowe and Gosling are on the same page, at least, but there's not a single moment in the film where they click in the way that Martin Riggs did with Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon. Or one that stands up to the friendship that organically developed between Harry and Gay Perry in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
One could argue that Black never gives them the scenes they need to cement the chemistry; they never get the chance to relax, as the script is too interested in ploughing forwards. We needed some down time, though, like when Riggs goes for dinner at Murtaugh's house in the original Lethal Weapon; it's a beautiful scene that effortlessly manages to be both funny and then moving, allowing these two very different men to finally connect. And we, the audience, suddenly get it.
Sadly, there is no "eureka" moment between Crowe and Gosling. They make for an affable duo, but I'm not clawing for a sequel.