The Nice Guys

Score:  ***1/2 out of ***** (B)

Directed by Shane Black
Starring Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Matt Bomer
Running time:  116 minutes
Rated R

Long Story Short:  The Nice Guys provides a nice little change of pace early in the summer movie season, an R-rated buddy-comedy-action-mystery with odd couple stars Crowe and Gosling.  It has its share of flaws, but it also has plenty going for it, too, from laughing with (but mostly at) its stars to a neatly done 70s atmosphere.  Recommended for many, keeping in mind the rating, but you could afford to wait for it on Netflix, too.


It's 1977 in Los Angeles, and two men, Healy (Crowe) and March (Gosling), fulfill the high demand for investigation - and intimidation - in society's shadows.  Not one to pass up an easy payday, March takes up an assignment from an elderly woman who insists that she's seen her apparently murdered niece out and about and is trying to find her.  Meanwhile, Healy makes his living by beating the crap out of creeps who bother regular - and some not-so-regular - civilians.  The two men's lines of work cross paths one day when March suspects that a missing girl is actually the murdered niece he's "looking" for - and the missing girl, Amelia, hires Healy to persuade March to drop the case.

After an unpleasant first meeting, Healy finds himself the target of another interested party looking for Amelia, and so he returns to March to try to find the girl first.  On the promise of a healthy reward, March accepts and the odd couple digs into the mystery together.  As the two wade their way through the seedier parts of 1970s LA, they find themselves at odds with other forces both powerful and very public.

The Nice Guys features a nice cast, led by an odd pair of stars in the lead.  Russell Crowe plays the grizzled old veteran enforcer known as Healy.  Looking stockier and more rumpled than usual, Crowe seems to have enjoyed the part, employing a familiar weary yet committed persona.  Ryan Gosling's character is rumpled as well as he struggles to make ends meet, but deploys his own typical traits in dealing with the job, including a smarmy cynicism.  Both Crowe and Gosling do well as they poke fun of and embrace their familiar character types and try to outdo the other.  But they don't quite click as a team, each working much better when the focus is just on him.  Just as good as these two stars is a young actress named Angourie Rice who plays Holly, March's daughter.  In a striking manner similar to Tomorrowland's Raffey Cassidy, Rice acts with both the skill of an adult and the energy of a child.  Rice easily pulls off the adult-level maturity of young Holly (more mature than her father, in fact) without coming off as pretentious as most child actors do.  There are other small roles, including Matt Bomer as a villain, but none are all that significant.

The Nice Guys is a darkly funny buddy cop adventure with impressive strengths and also its share of weaknesses.  If I was more familiar with the director's work (according to critics), I might have better understood the feel of this film which, while funny, takes its time in developing the core relationship here.  But while it's a little slow to develop, the film excels at introducing its main characters' roles and personalities, as well as the 1970s LA atmosphere complete with soundtrack, clothing, cars, and more funky period touches.  It's actually the second half, once Healy and March are together, that things bog down a bit - not just from the lack of chemistry between the two stars, but a meandering (sometimes bewildering) plot development.  Fortunately the stars, particularly Gosling, keep the humor coming throughout, though fair warning in that it ranges from harmless slapstick to pretty crude stuff.  The violence, which is often paired with humor, can also be intense (though not very gory).  Young Holly adds an odd dimension to the film; she plays an important part, providing more emotional depth for both of the main characters but also sometimes uncomfortably out of place in this often crude and bloody film.

***

The Nice Guys is a fun movie, worth seeing despite its flaws.  Many genre films struggle to standout among their peers, and this film's stars, along with the surprise from young Rice, allows it to do so.  They aren't ultimately among the best duos, but Crowe and Gosling each bring highly entertaining individual work to the film.  The atmosphere and tone are just right and it's pretty darn funny, even if the plot is tangled and it takes a few pace-killing diversions (the film is a little too long).  Its strengths are enough for me to recommend it to most, as some will probably like it considerably more than me even if others may like it less.  Your enjoyment, or lack thereof, of the R-rated elements will probably determine where you stand (love it, hate it, or, like me, somewhere in the middle).



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Captain America: Civil War

Score:  ****1/2 out of ***** (A)

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chadwick Boseman, et. al.
Running time:  147 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Red vs. blue.  Irony vs. earnest.  The team of superheroes introduced in 2012's The Avengers has reached a breaking point in Captain America: Civil War as Chris Evans' Cap and Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man part ways.  Practically a third Avengers movie as nearly the whole team is present (plus new faces beyond the familiar ones), Civil War is also something much different as it focuses on internal turmoil.  Superhero fan or not, the characters, story, action and humor here are top notch and I highly recommend it to all.


A year after the Avengers saved the world from the artificial intelligence Ultron, ordinary people are beginning to wonder whether these powerful heroes are saving them from danger - or just throwing them into more and more of it.  Tony Stark (Downey Jr.), or Iron Man, feels their skeptics may be right; after all, he created Ultron, and now tries to use his wealth on projects like educational grants to assuage his guilt.  Meanwhile, Steve Rogers (Evans), Captain America, leads a team of Avengers in a successful but costly mission in Lagos.  When they return home, the U.S. Secretary of State presents the team with the Sokovia Accords, a United Nations document placing the Avengers under the control of an international security panel.  Stark supports the accords, but Rogers refuses to sign on.

As the historic Accords go into effect, disaster strikes again; Rogers' old friend Bucky (Stan), on the run for the last two years, is spotted in the area and a manhunt begins.  Unable to give up on his friend, Rogers is forced to go directly at odds with Stark, who considers bringing Bucky to justice essential to restoring the world's trust in the Avengers.  The other Avengers must choose sides, and blows are dealt from which the team may not be able to recover.

Civil War has an enormous cast, with a few new faces complementing a host of familiar ones - it's a new Avengers movie except in name.  Leading the way, however, are Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/ Captain America, and Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man.  Poor Evans has much competition for screen time in his own movie, but despite his traditional "good guy" role, he once again turns in a deceptively strong performance.  While sporting an earnest demeanor, Rogers' idealistic outlook is pushed to its limits in Civil War, with Evans showing that struggle well.  Downey Jr. has been my favorite actor in Marvel's movies, and he is great here again.  A more overtly complex character, a hero who is also sarcastic and arrogant, Stark has reached his own breaking point from his accumulated losses and guilt.  Rogers and Stark are good friends, but their clashing philosophies were apparent from their first meeting back in 2012's Avengers.  Now the "bystanders", the world itself, force them to choose, and Stark's and Rogers' opposing decisions form the core of a busy but focused film.

There are many more characters, but to avoid writing a dissertation on them, I'll have to stick to the highlights.  Scarlett Johansson returns as Black Widow, a former spy who is torn between Stark's practicality and Rogers' optimism.  Sneakily the third most important character, Johansson makes the most of her limited screen time with her usual intensity; and when in action, her acrobatics.  Chadwick Boseman plays the most important new character, T'Challa aka Black Panther.  Not just a hero, T'Challa is also the king of a secretive fictional nation.  Boseman captures his character's noble presence, one that is quiet and seemingly serene yet just as intense as Black Widow.  All the rest do fine work as well; the actors chosen to be Avengers don't just suit their own characters well but also have developed good chemistry with each other as their filmography grows.

Captain America: Civil War may be like an Avengers film in its cast size, but it offers a new paradigm that gives a fresh and intriguing take on the superhero genre.  As mentioned, the Stark-Rogers showdown is the focus.  While there is a villain, the evil plot is much more subtle than the usual take over/destroy the world idea (and I won't say more about it here).  The titular Civil War is based on accountability: even though the Avengers intend to do good and usually defeat the bad guys, should they be allowed to engage what they see as threat, when, how and where they choose?  This theme makes a lot of sense not just in the context of an ongoing universe of thirteen films and counting, but also as a mirror to our own world in which Americans in particular struggle with how to deal with malevolent forces like ISIS.  Each supporting character gets his/her say, too, whether it's directly tied to this struggle or not.  Therefore as the sides form up, it's not an arbitrary mix.

Beyond all that seriousness, though, is still great fun in terms of action and humor that we've come to expect from Marvel's films.  There are at least four action sequences which not only push the story forward but also have distinct styles.  The first fight shows a "typical" Avengers mission, the chaos and grit; a chase scene later brings back an old character and introduces a new one, to go with some impressive stunts; the widely-touted Team Cap vs. Team Iron Man on an abandoned air field meets expectations; and a furious, intimate battle concludes the film.  The final two in particular display far different yet perfectly appropriate tones.  And yes, there is good humor spread throughout the film, even with the team splitting up.  Downey Jr.'s Stark alone is enough to bring the laughs, but just about everyone gets a chance.  Paul Rudd's return as Ant-Man is particularly welcome in this regard.

***

Captain America: Civil War challenges the first Avengers film as Marvel's best film yet.  I'm not at all surprised:  bring back the filmmakers from the bravura CA: Winter Soldier, add in the rest of the super team (esp. Downey Jr.), and cap it all off with a fresh approach that results in a lasting change to the whole franchise, and what do you expect?  It almost gets lost in talk of all the different characters and themes and action, but the basic stuff - you know, writing, pacing, filming and so on - all ranges from rock solid to superb, too.  It's worth mentioning the comparison to the other big superhero showdown film this year from DC.  Civil War is the better movie, certainly, but I'll repeat that I think Batman v Superman has been unfairly maligned by critics.  Beyond the similarity in basic premise, the two films are vastly different, each with unique strengths and viewing pleasures (as a reminder, check out Man of Steel first to enhance your enjoyment of BvS).  Back to Civil War, though:  this is an outstanding film, and I recommend it for all audiences.  Of course, if you've been following the Marvel films, this is flat out essential viewing.  Enjoy!



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Keanu

Score:  ***1/2 out of ***** (B)

Directed by Peter Atencio
Starring Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele
Running time:  98 minutes
Rated R

Long Story Short:  The popular comedy duo Key and Peele have released their first feature film, following on the success of their hit sketch TV show.  Keanu is essentially an extended Key and Peele sketch, built around a conventional normal guys thrown in with a bad crowd story (and a key role for a cute kitten for good measure).  Key and Peele are very talented and funny, and even if you haven't seen them before - actually, especially if you haven't seen them before - I recommend this film.


Cousins Rell (Peele) and Clarence (Key) are good friends but lead opposite lives: laid back Rell mourns the end of his marriage, while Clarence has a happy family yet suppresses his full personality.  One day Rell gets a surprise new companion when he finds a kitten at his door.  Little does he know that the kitten has recently escaped the scene of a bloody gang fight.  When Clarence's wife and children leave for a weekend trip, he and Rell go to a Liam Neeson film to return and find Rell's house ransacked - and his kitten, Keanu, missing.  Rell's next door neighbor (Forte) suggests that the dreaded 17th St. Blips, a local gang, may have been the culprits.  Desperate to find Keanu, Rell drags Clarence along on a mission to infiltrate the gang.

Newly renamed Tectonic and Shark Tank, Rell and Clarence are forced to prove their allegiance by joining the gang in distributing its new drug, Holy Shit.  Danger lurks around every corner as the cousins try to blend in and survive.  Even if they can make it in the 17th St. Blips, they aren't the only ones looking for little Keanu...

Keanu's cast is good, led by co-star comedians Key and Peele.  Possibly the two most talented comedians working today (and among the funniest), the duo is obviously the main attraction in this film.  Fans (like me) of their recently-ended sketch show Key and Peele will recognize the same kind of humor from them here.  One of the great things about the pair is that they have distinct personalities which complement each other and fit into the same style perfectly.  Their roles here - Key as the ostensibly "straight man" who breaks out of his shell, and Peele as the relaxed semi-troublemaker who shows a nicer side - are their bread-and-butter (though they're certainly talented enough to swap those roles or do entirely different ones).  Excellent work, as expected.  Most of the supporting work here is fine if unremarkable; one to note is Will Forte playing Rell's neighbor in just a few scenes, but he's very funny as usual.

Keanu is a pretty typical genre comedy film overall, with Key and Peele themselves as the main focus; it's solid in most ways, but also has few true fireworks.  Again, those familiar with Key and Peele will recognize not only the actors' humor and style, but also the overall set up:  it feels like an extended sketch, one that is similar to certain film conventions (no accident here, since many of their sketches were designed that way).  Keanu is even directed by the same guy who did their show.  This familiarity is not at all a bad thing, though the film does lean heavily on the force of Key and Peele's talent and personalities to carry it.  If you aren't familiar with their show, you'll still get the basic story structure with no trouble; you might simply miss a handful of references to their show ("Liam Neesons", etc.) but the vast majority of the humor is broad enough for any audience.  You can also expect humor that ranges from common slapstick to more subtle, clever societal commentary.  While the story is conventional with a few quirks - namely the title kitten - the film does its best to keep from bogging down with too much "keep the story moving" content.  Oh, and the kitten?  Yes, it's very cute.

***

Keanu is a solid comedy and if anything, my familiarity with and expectations coming from the Key and Peele sketch show leads me to a lower grade than others might give it.  I am a huge fan of these two comedians, no question; but I was left a bit disappointed by, more than anything else, how relatively safe and conventional they keep their first feature film.  While I found this movie funny, it is confining, almost like they were wearing straitjackets around their comedic potential.  They are so talented, they can break just about any movie "rule" that they want and not just be effective but better than just about anything else out there.  Since they can play so many characters, I'd love to see them play all or most of the characters in a movie, for example.  I know that's not new, but they could do it so much better than other attempts that it would seem like a new idea.  This is good, quality comedy filmmaking - it is funny and even the conventional structure works alright (esp. with the kitten) - so I'd recommend it for most people.  Do keep in mind, this is rated R, despite the kitten and Key and Peele's tendency to come off as "gentler" comedians to the uninitiated.  With that in mind, if you're looking for some laughs, this is a good choice!



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