Few comedies age as well—or get rediscovered as passionately—as The Nice Guys (2016). What looks like a loose buddy-cop romp slowly reveals itself as a tightly constructed neo-noir, packed with social commentary, moral decay, and jokes that hit harder the more you rewatch it.

In this Nightshift episode, we clock in to unpack Shane Black’s love letter to 1970s Los Angeles. We explore how Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe create one of the most unexpectedly perfect duos of the decade, why Gosling’s physical comedy is doing far more work than it gets credit for, and how Black uses humor to smuggle in a deeply cynical view of power, corruption, and American optimism.

The conversation dives into the film’s winding plot, its deliberate tonal chaos, and why its box-office failure had more to do with timing and marketing than quality. We break down the film’s noir DNA, the absurdist flourishes that elevate it beyond parody, and the small character moments that give the movie its surprising emotional weight.

Beyond the laughs, this episode asks bigger questions:
• Why did this movie miss with audiences in 2016 but thrive on rewatch?
• How does comedy make the noir themes hit even harder?
• Is The Nice Guys secretly one of the smartest screenplays of the decade?
• And why does it feel like a sequel-ready world that never got its chance?

By the end, we land where Nightshift always does—on endurance. Why this film keeps finding new fans. Why its jokes land even better with age. And why The Nice Guys deserves to be remembered not as a box-office disappointment, but as one of the most confident genre blends of its era.

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Nightshift clocks in after dark for deep dives into the movies you love.

Each episode revisits iconic films through storytelling, performance, cultural impact, and the business decisions that shaped them. The conversations are opinionated, reflective, and rooted in rewatching movies that still stick with us.

🎙️ Part of the Housecats Podcast Network
🔗 Network hub: https://www.thehousecatspod.com

🔗 Listen on audio: Spotify & Apple Podcasts

New episodes drop regularly.