You’ve seen the memes. The high-pitched scream. The mustache that somehow looks both majestic and deeply questionable. The scene where he tries to punch through a glass door and nearly bleeds out in a 1970s ambulance. If you’re searching for "Ryan Gosling The Good Guys," you’re almost certainly looking for the 2016 cult masterpiece The Nice Guys.
It’s an easy mistake. Honestly, the movie’s title is meant to be ironic anyway. Neither Holland March (Gosling) nor Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) are particularly "good" or "nice." One is a private investigator who cons elderly women out of their savings; the other is a literal "enforcer" who breaks people's arms for a few hundred bucks. Yet, nearly a decade later, this movie has become the internet's favorite "hidden gem" that everyone actually knows about.
Why Do People Call It "The Good Guys"?
Confusing the title is basically a rite of passage for fans. There was actually a TV show called The Good Guys (starring Bradley Whitford) and an action-comedy called The Other Guys (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg). Throw in Gosling’s reputation for playing "the good guy" in romantic dramas, and your brain just fills in the blanks.
But Ryan Gosling The Nice Guys is the specific lightning-in-a-bottle moment where we realized the guy from The Notebook was actually a generational comedic genius.
The movie flopped. Hard. It opened against The Angry Birds Movie in May 2016 and got absolutely stomped at the box office. Gosling himself joked recently that "Angry Birds just destroyed us... Angry Birds got a sequel." It’s a tragedy of modern cinema, really. We live in a world with three Angry Birds projects and zero Nice Guys sequels.
The Lou Costello Influence
If you watch Gosling’s performance closely, he’s doing something very specific. He isn't just "being funny." He’s channeling old-school slapstick.
Gosling has admitted in several interviews, including a sit-down with NYLON, that his parents were too cheap for a video rental membership. They took him to the library instead. The only free tapes they had? Bible studies and Abbott and Costello. He spent his childhood watching 1940s comedy duos, and it shows.
That high-pitched "girly" scream he does when he sees a corpse? That’s pure Lou Costello.
The scene in the bathroom stall—where he’s trying to hold the door open with his foot while holding a magazine and a gun, only to have the door slam back in his face—is a masterclass in physical comedy. It’s messy. It’s frantic. It’s also incredibly difficult to pull off without looking like you’re trying too hard. Russell Crowe, who plays the "straight man" in this duo, said he’s famous for never breaking character, but Gosling "gets him every time."
The Chemistry That Shouldn't Work
On paper, Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling make no sense.
- Crowe: Known for Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind. Serious. Grumpy. Intense.
- Gosling: The indie darling. The "Hey Girl" guy.
But Shane Black, the director who basically invented the buddy-cop genre with Lethal Weapon, saw something. He saw two guys who were tired of being taken so seriously. The chemistry was instant. During their first meeting, they reportedly spent hours just making each other laugh.
There's a scene where they're looking for a missing girl at a party, and March (Gosling) is completely wasted. He’s trying to be a cool detective while falling down a literal hill. He discovers a body and tries to alert Healy (Crowe) by making these weird, wheezing bird noises because he’s too panicked to speak. Crowe’s deadpan reaction is what makes it work. You need the mountain to make the valley look deep.
What Really Happened with the Sequel?
In early 2026, the internet still goes into a frenzy every time a rumor drops about The Nice Guys 2.
Here is the factual reality: Everyone wants to do it. Shane Black wants to write it. Gosling and Crowe have even joked about a plot where they become "Mexican Detectives" just to hide out from their past. But the legalities are a mess. The rights are split between Warner Bros., Silver Pictures, and international distributors.
Plus, there's the money. A sequel would likely cost double the original's $50 million budget because both actors are significantly more expensive now. Studios are hesitant to greenlight $100 million for a sequel to a movie that didn't make its money back the first time.
However, the "streaming effect" is real. The Nice Guys is a perennial Top 10 performer whenever it hits Netflix or Max. It has more cultural "reach" now than it ever did in theaters.
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Is Holland March the Best Ryan Gosling Character?
A lot of people would say Drive or La La Land. They’re wrong.
Holland March is Gosling’s most honest performance. He’s playing a man who is a failure as a detective, a questionable father, and a functioning alcoholic, yet he’s somehow the most likable person on screen. It’s because he’s vulnerable. Most "cool" characters in movies don’t accidentally cut their own wrists while trying to act tough. March does.
Why the Movie Still Matters in 2026
We don't get many mid-budget, R-rated original comedies anymore. Everything is a franchise or a reboot. The Nice Guys feels like a relic from a time when you could just put two charismatic actors in a room with a witty script and let them cook.
It also tackles 1970s Los Angeles in a way that feels authentic but cynical. It deals with the smog crisis, the death of the "Golden Age" of Hollywood, and the rise of the adult film industry, all while having a child (the brilliant Angourie Rice) be the smartest person in the room.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you’ve been searching for Ryan Gosling The Good Guys and want more of that specific energy, here is how to dive deeper:
- Watch Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: This is Shane Black’s other masterpiece. It stars Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. It’s the spiritual predecessor to The Nice Guys.
- Follow the "Mexican Detectives" Updates: While not officially greenlit, Russell Crowe still mentions this pitch in interviews. Keep an eye on trade publications like Deadline or The Hollywood Reporter for "Shane Black" or "Silver Pictures" news.
- Look for the 4K Remaster: If you’ve only seen it on a compressed streaming site, find the physical 4K release. The 1970s color palette and the cinematography by Philippe Rousselot are stunning when given the proper bitrate.
- Check out "The Fall Guy": If you liked Gosling's physical comedy here, his 2024 film The Fall Guy is the closest he’s come to returning to that specific "bumbling but capable" archetype.
The reality is that The Nice Guys (or "The Good Guys" as you might call it) is a rare film that gets better every time you watch it. You notice a new facial expression from Gosling or a subtle piece of dialogue you missed because you were laughing too loud the first time. It’s a movie that deserves its cult status, even if it never gets that elusive sequel.