I have to admit that I'm a little into Edward Burns lately and that's why I rented "Nice Guy Johnny," which Burns wrote, directed, and co-starred in. The film's focus is Johnny (Matt Bush), who is indeed a very nice guy. Johnny is so nice that he is on track to give up his dream job of hosting a radio sports talk show in order to make more money and please his fiance, Claire (Anna Wood). Johnny goes to New York for the weekend for the job interview and is talked into spending some time with his uncle Terry (Burns) which leads to meeting a free-spirited tennis pro named Brooke (Kerry Bishe) in the Hamptons. Not only is Johnny tempted by Brooke but he begins to question his fiance's plan for his life.
While this is a good film, it's unfortunately not great. I think there's great storytelling in this film but it goes way out of the way to establish Johnny as the "nice guy" and to explore the theme of following one's dreams. Burns, however, provides a lot of humor in his role as the immature skirt-chaser trying to lead his very straight-laced nephew astray. Bishe really pops onscreen but she's really relegated to the role of the "hot girl" who is the antithesis of Johnny's fiance. One of the reasons I think that "Newlyweds," Burns' more recent film, works is that Bishe got more of a chance to shine.
Solid B for this one - Burns' fans will like it but the casual viewer may find it overly simplistic and lacking the magic that "Newlyweds" has.
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