“Blue Valentine” (2010) Cinematography by Andrij Parekh
This shouldn’t be a shock to you all, but anyone who doesn’t know this prepare to learn that Ryan Gosling is my favorite actor working today. Whether it’s comedy or drama, blockbusters or indies, he always seems at home, committing fully to whatever he’s doing. That alone is worthy of acclaim, but his taste in projects is also impeccable. Last year, Gosling stunned in Barbie, turning in some amazing work. My rave review here at the time said “Gosling is a comedic goldmine and deserves legitimate Best Supporting Actor consideration. The amount that he throws himself into this role is staggering and staggeringly delightful. The commitment itself is hilarious, let alone his comic timing.” This past weekend, he led The Fall Guy into theaters, delighting myself and others in the process. As such, it felt like a good time to look back again on his career, highlighting his best work.
In my review of The Fall Guy (here), I had the following to say about Gosling, including his chemistry with co-stars:
Ryan Gosling is channeling his vibe from The Nice Guys here, to great effect. While Gosling gets the best material and the most screen time, Emily Blunt is great as well, having a blast being in a power position. Blunt and Gosling also have terrific chemistry, as does Gosling with Winston Duke.
Below, you can see where things stack up with Gosling for yours truly. He has incredibly underrated range. From high drama to big comedy, he’s proven he can do it all. For my money, and I’ll share my top ten list below, he’s never been better than in Blue Valentine, one of my favorite performances of the past 25 years. That being said, Barbie is my favorite male performance from last year and an instantly iconic addition to his filmography. Your list will obviously differ from mine, but I’m definitely curious to see where everyone stands on his work, both the Oscar nominated and the snubbed alike.
Here now are my top ten Ryan Gosling performances, as it stands today:
Honorable Mention: The Believer, Crazy Stupid Love, The Ides of March, The Notebook, The Slaughter Rule, and The United States of Leland
10. The Fall Guy
9. The Place Beyond the Pines
8. The Nice Guys
7. Lars and the Real Girl
6. La La Land
5. First Man
4. Drive
3. Half Nelson
2. Barbie
1. Blue Valentine
What are your favorite performances from Ryan Gosling? Let us know!
