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.

TxMike This story is about Johnny. Matt Bush is Johnny Rizzo, a 24-yr-old New Yorker living and working in radio in the San Francisco Bay area. He has a 2AM to 6AM sports talk show, which he loves and is good at, but he also has a 24-yr-old fiancée who wants him to get a job earning more money so they can get married, live comfortably, have kids, the whole package.Her dad back in New York is paying the rent on their apartment. He sets up a job interview for Johnny, it would be working as a supervisor in a company that makes boxes and other containers, something very boring compared to what he loves about his radio talk show. But it also pays very well. So Johnny flies to NYC for the weekend and the Monday interview.Edward Burns, who wrote and directed, is Johnny's Uncle Terry, a relatively dirty middle-aged man who doesn't believe in marriage, and also has no problem romancing a variety of married ladies. He tries to set Johnny up for the weekend, for a "last fling", but really to get him out of his marriage plans.In comes Kerry Bishé as Brooke, former star tennis player in college. She seems interested in Johnny, but he is a "nice guy" and is faithful to his fiancée. However something happens, an intercepted phone call, that gets her to worry. So, what does Johnny do? That is what the movie is about, and other than Uncle Terry being very annoying most of the time, it is a very enjoyable movie.SPOILERS: In the end Johnny does not have the interview, goes back to California determined to keep his low-paying job as a radio talk show host. He and his fiancée have a final discussion, they agree to go their separate ways, which in the end is a good decision for Johnny who would not have been happy giving up what he liked most just to make more money. The movie ends with Brooke as a call-in to his show, she is taking a road trip back to California, in fact she is calling from Napa, and will be a guest on his show to talk college tennis. But they may be more, down the road.

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.

lauramaclennan Predictable and slow. I actually looked at my phone to see what time it was. A couple of funny lines. Johnny's fiancée was to quick to jump to the wrong conclusions especially since Johnny was a good guy. It's like she didn't even know who he was. Also, the future father-n-law's reaction to being called "Mr." instead of "Dr." was to much. It could have been done less in your face. That would have been a good opportunity for some funny lines. It was too in your face about "I've got to follow my dreams" kinda thing. Should have been more subtle. And then the romance was almost too subtle. It was a little to fast for the young lady to fall in love with Johnny. The music was good.