Ryan Gosling’s R-rated comedy has found a fresh audience years after its theatrical run. The film is now drawing attention on Apple TV, where it has climbed past several better-known titles. Its renewed popularity also puts the spotlight back on a crime comedy that struggled to become a box-office hit.
The Nice Guys is getting the love it deserves on Apple TV
Ryan Gosling’s The Nice Guys topped Apple TV’s U.S. movie chart, according to FlixPatrol. It moved ahead of Prisoners, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and newer titles such as Matchbox, Tenzing and Mayday. Interstellar and F1 also made the list.
Directed by Shane Black, the R-rated comedy follows two unlikely partners in 1970s Los Angeles. Gosling plays Holland March, a struggling private eye, while Russell Crowe is Jackson Healy, a hired enforcer.
They team up to make sense of a young woman disappearance and investigate a porn star’s suspicious death. Angourie Rice plays March’s daughter Holly. Margaret Qualley, Matt Bomer, Kim Basinger and Yaya DaCosta also star. The movie runs for 116 minutes and fuses action, mystery and dark humor.
Black co-wrote the script with Anthony Bagarozzi while Joel Silver produced the film. Warner Bros. released it, with Silver Pictures, Waypoint Entertainment and RatPac-Dune Entertainment among its production companies.
Reviews were strong. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 91% Tomatometer score from more than 320 reviews and a 79% Popcornmeter score from more than 50,000 audience ratings. IMDb rates it 7.4/10.
Fans were hooked by the script and the electric chemistry between Gosling and Crowe. Their scenes delivered plenty of laughs, thanks to their perfectly timed banter. Gosling was a particular standout, winning fans over with his hilarious expressions and comic timing.
The box office was less impressive. Released in theaters on May 20, 2016, the film earned about $71.2 million worldwide against an estimated $50 million production budget. Its total included $36.2 million in the United States and Canada.
