Ryan Gosling is arguably one of the best actors working today. He has been nominated for two Academy Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Golden Globes, including one win for his performance in La La Land. Gosling is a unique presence on film, as he has the traditional leading man looks and charms but also the versatility of some of the best character actors working today. He is one of the most in-demand actors working, and has been eyed for a number of projects yet has been very particular about his choices, cultivating a strong filmography where he takes on films that challenge him and what the audience expects of him.
The actor has a number of projects coming in the near future, all very different from one another. First is the Russo Brothers’ The Gray Man, which he will then follow with a role in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie as Ken. He also is set to star as the lead in Universal Pictures remake of The Wolfman, where he’ll work with director Derek Cianfrance for the third time (following Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines). Gosling has a number of great films, but even in his vast filmography, there are some that go unnoticed due to their smaller nature or limited theatrical release. These are six of Ryan Goslings’ most underrated movies.
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6 Only God Forgives
Radius-TWC
Ryan Gosling and director Nicolas Wending Refn followed up their massive hit Drive with Only God Forgives, a much misaligned, weirdly under-seen film. If viewers thought Drive was too minimalist, Only God Forgives essentially doubles down on its stylization, and Gosling removes every last trace of emotion he hadn’t already as The Driver, resulting in a hypnotically vague, brutally violent mood piece. Gosling is incredible here in a way that runs counter to what many people expect from acting; he strips everything from his character until there is nothing left but a bleeding husk.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Half Nelson
THINKFilm
Half Nelson was released in 2006, just two years after Gosling had reached leading man and heartthrob status with the release of The Notebook; instead of starring in a similar movie, Gosling took a swerve with a project that could not be more different. Gosling plays Dan, a troubled teacher and drug addict who teaches middle school in the inner city and forms a friendship with the young student Drey (Shareeka Epps). Gosling’s charm is still present, but there is a grittiness to his performance as a flawed man who still wants to do good. The film was the directorial debut for Captain Marvel filmmakers Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden and showcases the duo’s strength regarding deeply personal character-driven stories. The movie had a limited release but still grossed $4 million off a budget of $700,000. The movie earned Gosling his first Academy Award nomination and made him the eighth-youngest person nominated for Best Actor.
4 Lars and the Real Girl
Many of Gosling’s most iconic performances tend to be of a silent intensity (Drive, The Place Beyond the Pines) or as a romantic and charming leading man (Crazy Stupid Love, The Notebook), but Lars and the Real Girl is a display of the actor at his most vulnerable. It showcases a sweet boyishness and sometimes pathetic creepiness not seen in any of his other performances. The story follows Lars (Gosling), a kind-hearted young man who develops a romantic and yet nonsexual relationship with a sex doll named Bianca. While his family originally plays along to try and understand the bigger issues with Lars, the townspeople at large accept Bianca giving Lars a sense of confidence and allowing him to deal with some deeper guilt over his mother’s death. Lars and the Real Girl is a touching film about acceptance and tolerance, and Gosling creates a deeply sympathetic and layered character. It was a role that was very against type for the actor who Hollywood wanted to make into a sex symbol, but he showed his range as an actor and a willingness to take risks with interesting films that worked against his movie star image.
3 The Ides of March
Sony Pictures
Gosling had three major releases in 2011, with much attention paid to the mainstream romantic comedy hit Crazy Stupid Love and the iconic, stoic performance in Drive, but the one that flew under the radar for many was The Ides of March. Directed by George Clooney and adapted from the 2008 play Farragut North, The Ides of March follows Stephen (Gosling), the junior campaign manager for Governor Mike Morris (Clooney) who is running in the Democratic Presidential Primary. The film earned $76 million worldwide against a budget of $12 million making for a decent box office success. Gosling earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance and the picture was selected by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2011. The film is a complex tale of political intrigue that was various backstabbing just to get to the top and has probably become a more topical film in recent years.
2 The Nice Guys
Warner Bros.
La La Land is likely Gosling’s most famous film of 2016, but the actor also starred in the criminally underrated buddy cop film The Nice Guys. Directed by Shane Black, The Nice Guys is set in 1977 Los Angeles and stars Gosling as Detective Holland March alongside Jack Healy (Russell Crowe) as they team up to investigate the case of a missing girl. The two eventually uncover a bigger conspiracy involving the adult film industry, the justice department and the Detroit automotive industry in this excellent dark comedy with surprisingly great chemistry between Gosling and Crowe. The film earned 91% on Rotten Tomatoes but was a box office disappointment, coming in fourth in its opening weekend and barely making $62.8 million worldwide against a budget of $50 million, likely killing any plans for a sequel. The film is a treat for those looking for a throwback and is arguably Gosling’s funniest performance to date, showing a different side of the actor.
1 First Man
Universal Pictures
Gosling re-teams with La La Land director Damien Chazelle for First Man, a biopic about Neil Armstrong and the trip to the moon. Gosling is the perfect actor for this role, as his calm demeanor perfectly fits Armstrong’s often understated persona. Due to the duo’s previous collaboration and the pedigree of the material, First Man was expected to be a major player at the Academy Awards and box office, yet the film was a financial disappointment and Universal Pictures pivoted its awards’ attention to the future (notorious) Best Picture winner Green Book. First Man might just be the best performance of Gosling’s career, giving a very nuanced but deeply human portrayal where one man’s quest to do the impossible task of walking on the moon is contrasted with the impossibility of saving his child from cancer. It combines the more deadpan subtlety of Drive and Only God Forgives with the emotional vulnerability of Half Nelson, and succeeds in every respect. The movie is a soaring triumphant and also a deeply personal character study, and one worth checking out.
