Kien Navarro
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Ella-May O'Brien
Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
Cristal
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Steve Pulaski
The titular character in Edward Burns' Nice Guy Johnny is one of the most relatable characters to myself I have ever seen on screen, reminding me eerily of how the character of Dante Hicks communicated something to me when I was seven or eight-years-old, watching Clerks for the first time. The character is "nice to a fault," meaning his niceness comes through even when it shouldn't and he should be taking a stand rather than backing down. He's caught between a rock and a hard place in trying to follow his dreams or conform and make others happy before himself. He is constantly worried about stepping out of line with everybody and struggles to assure everyone is happy and content. And he also has a quirky passion that may not pay well, but dammit, it makes him happy and satisfied with his life."Nice Guy" Johnny Rizzo is played by Matt Bush, a real find of a young actor, who is getting married in a few days and is about to scrap his low-paying but wholly satisfying gig as a late night sportscasting gig on the radio for a safe job at a cardboard box factory. The job is provided by his fiancée Claire's (Anna Wood) father, who has helped the young couple out by paying for the heavy rent and car payments being that Johnny and Claire's combined income cannot afford their needs and wants. Twenty-five and about to make the biggest commitment of his adult life, he is taken on a weekend in the Hamptons by his sleazy uncle Terry (writer/producer/director Edward Burns) to loosen up and enjoy one last weekend of freedom before he walks down the aisle.Although Terry doesn't hang with Johnny as much as he should, he can read his nephew like a book and recognize that this marriage thing isn't in his best interest as much as it is convenient and will likely prove to be a safe bet in the long-run. On this little vacation, Johnny meets Brooke (Kerry Bishé), a sweet and attractive blonde tennis coach, who Terry attempts to hook up with his nephew while he can heartlessly screw another married woman. Johnny is apprehensive to the idea of cheating on Claire with a total stranger, unlike his uncle, but finds quiet solace in talking to Brooke about his engagement, his aspirations, and his feelings, and she enjoys his company. The two hit it off in the quiet way people do in real life rather than in movies.Despite his uncle, and bachelor-party-convention, telling him to sleep with Brooke in a "no regrets" manner, Johnny refuses. Not only is he far too kind and nice, but he doesn't want to jeopardize anything between his fiancée. Without diving into specifics, the night turns out to be a wild and memorable one not in the sense you're thinking, but in a far more entertaining way than the barrage of bachelor party films have turned out.Nice Guy Johnny is a fantastic film if you're just coming out of high school, entering college, graduating college, or a few years out of college, caught between passion and profession, and being burdened by numerous voices from others who are telling you to sacrifice your personal happiness for immediate financial gratification. Perhaps if I didn't find myself in that position, having just graduated high school, I may've not liked Nice Guy Johnny has much as I did. However, being down that road, the film articulates the pressure beautifully, with several great dialog scenes between two parties about the issue, especially one between Johnny and Terry where Terry tells Johnny - in a wonderfully nuanced and unconventional way - that making others happy before yourself isn't what is going to make you happy and fulfilled in a long-term sense. "You need to stop worrying about what everybody else wants and start worrying about what Johnny wants," he tells him.The film also recognizes the idea of "nice guys finish last" in an honest and believable way, without succumbing to cheap pessimism or pity. It shows how even though we claim to like our close friends and people around us to be nice, we take advantage of their kindness, and assume they're equipped with no other feeling but overflowing niceness and love. Nice Guy Johnny, in addition, illustrates believable interactions between Johnny and Brooke that take on a life of their own in a sense that they're not playing to the commonality of how first conversations between strangers of the opposite sex play out, but show the genuine awkwardness and banter that entails.On a final note, without trying to ruin anything in the film, if you expected any bawdiness or sex scenes in Nice Guy Johnny while watching it, you have entirely missed the idea of the film and its character that was boldly indicated in the title. Having said that, this is one of the strongest romantic comedies I've seen of the new decade, emotionally honest, realistically portrayed, wonderfully acted, especially by Bush and Bishé, who shine in every scene they're in, and written pragmatically by its writer/producer/director, who understands this life as if he had lived it.Starring: Matt Bush, Kerry Bishé, Edward Burns, and Anna Wood. Directed by: Edward Burns.
mayabbott
How many formulaic, boring, insipid, little worthless movies can Ed Burns churn out? Is it an infinite number? I wish there were permits issued for movie directors, so we could deny one to Ed Burns. Again! Some dreary little story, that he wants us to believe is profound, because he thinks it's realistic. He thinks if he presents anything that most people in his target audience, (wealthy, educated 20-40 somethings who hang out in Manhattan and the Hamptons)can relate to, no matter how boring, then he's made art. Hey Ed, it's not art. It's not even crafts. It's like opening a can of Campbells soup. Yes, Ed Burns might just as well go open a can of soup, than make these pathetic movies. And he's not a great actor either. The characters he plays aren't interesting to begin with, and he does nothing to elevated them. Do not waste your time, even if you're 25 and hang out, or wish you hung out, in the Hamptons. I once saw some old movie, set in East Hampton, with Rob Lowe and Doug Savant called MASQUERADE. Now, THAT was pretty good, for a crappy potboiler, like a guilty pleasure. Whatever it is, it's not boring and pointless.Ed Burns should watch it 12 times, and see what entertainment is. Even bad entertainment is better than no entertainment at all. BTW, just so any readers know; should poor Johnny follow his dream or sacrifice it?.....i get it...I get it....I get it...it's a case of who the heck cares because the entire presentation of the dilemma is no boring, in every way.
Matt Kracht
The plot: After meeting a free-spirited woman, a pushover begins to stand up for himself and his dreams.This is a bog-standard Manic Pixie Dream Girl movie. The repressed, passive protagonist is unhappy in his life, though he's too much in denial to admit it to himself. He reluctantly agrees to give up his dreams and allow his fiancée and future father-in-law to plan out his life for him. However, in the process, he meets a free-spirited girl who reawakens his rebellious spirit, and he slowly begins to realize how unhappy he truly is. It's the same exact story that's been told dozens of times in the past ten years, and every time it's the result of hack writing. Every character is a one dimensional stereotype, and the plot is just as predictable as every other hack romantic comedy.I can't really see why anyone would waste their time with this. It's inoffensive, bland, and has attractive people in it, so it's going to pick up some fans, but this cookie-cutter movie gets made every few months. Why not wait for next iteration, which will probably have better writing and acting?
napierslogs
Johnny (Matt Bush) is a nice guy, or a push-over, depending on how you see it. But he's also a pretty good character. Very handsome, sweet, and well, nice; he's a good romantic comedy hero.It's basically a twenty-something finds himself romantic comedy. It's nothing you haven't seen before, but it is cute, funny and romantic. Matt Bush and Kerry Bishé have great chemistry and their romance is engaging.Writer, director Edward Burns has both matured and gotten in touch with his younger self. He's no longer playing the main character in his romantic comedies, and here he has adequately written for a guy in his mid-20s. The plot and dialogue are obvious and predictable, but that's not necessarily a bad thing here. If you're looking for a twenty-something finds himself romantic comedy, then "Nice Guy Johnny" is certainly watchable.
