Jasper Rees

Punchlines and punches

This buddy caper crime comedy set in the 70s porn industry has the moral compass of a tanked-up frat boy – and is a blast right from the start

issue 04 June 2016

Regular filmgoers must be losing count of the Rabelaisian revelries they’ve been invited to of late. You may recognise the type of do. The camera ushers you through a door and, wham, the music’s strafing your eardrums and everyone’s letting their hair down along, often, with their underwear. There’s usually a white horse grazing by the pool.

The Ballard adaptation High-Rise has one such scene, as do the latest Le Carré film Our Kind of Traitor and the Saudi-set Tom Hanks vehicle A Hologram for the King. Throw on your party shirt and roll up for another courtesy of The Nice Guys. ‘Dad, there’s like whores here and stuff,’ says the heroine, who is no more than 12. ‘Sweetheart,’ replies her father, ‘how many times have I told you? Don’t say “and stuff”.’

There’s a lot to be wary of in The Nice Guys.

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