15. The Believer (2001)
Unlike his more well-known romance or action hero leads,The Believersees Ryan Gosling as a Jewish neo-Nazi skinhead. Yep, you read that right! A Jewish Nazi. What in the oxymoron…
Although Daniel does believe in a Jewish God, he doesn’t like Him and he views Him as a vengeful bully. Daniel begs for violence—to inflict itandto receive it—and is plagued by visions of himself as both a Nazi officer and a Holocaust victim.
Gosling’s portrayal of this New York fascist fanatic could have easily veered into offensive caricature, but instead provokes us with electric, shocking intensity.
14. Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
Lars and the Real Girlis one of Ryan Gosling’s more niche movies, practically unknown to everyone except film buffs (despite being critically acclaimed) and one of the few instances where Goslingdidn’tsplash tabloids as a heartthrob.
He’s not meant to, though. InLars and the Real Girl, Gosling plays a socially awkward, haphephobic small towner whose girlfriend is… a life-size sex doll? One that Lars treats like a human.
Craig Gillespie’s complex comedy ultimately leaves us with a twinge of sadness, mostly from Gosling’s troubled protagonist who’s somewhat uncomfortable (yet hilarious) to watch.
Related:The Best Movies With Imaginary Friends and Characters
13. Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)
If Ryan Gosling had a large female fan base in 2004, it only grew exponentially in 2011, which was the year he showed off his chiseled six-pack abs inCrazy, Stupid, Love.
Emma Stone stands in for any and all Gosling-loving viewers as she plays the romantic interest who gasps at the sight of his bare chest. It sounds hollow, but that’s exactly what Jacob Palmer is supposed to be: sexy, suave, and shallow.
It’s only at the end of this feel-good rom-com that Jacob learns to bring meaning into his life, after having taught Steve Carell’s character how to style out his midlife crisis.
Related:The Best Midlife Crisis Movies, Ranked
12. The Ides of March (2011)
It might surprise you to know that George Clooney is also a director, and his best movie is by farThe Ides of March. It’s so good that it earned an Oscar nomination!
This was partly thanks to its riveting source material: an acclaimed, off-Broadway play from Beau Willimon (Farragut North) with events loosely based on the 2004 Democratic primary elections.
Clooney also stars in his own glossy political drama, playing the presidential candidate Mike Morris. But Morris isn’t the center of this story! That goes to Ryan Gosling as Morris’s junior campaign manager who gets all caught up in a political scandal.
Related:The Best Political Drama Movies
11. First Man (2018)
First Manis one of those anomalous movies that critics adored but remained largely forgotten about by general audiences. This could be due to its lack of in-your-face, all-American patriotism that’s synonymous with the 1969 moon landing.
Damien Chazelle elects for a soaring visual feast over a cold, fact-based historic account, featuring Ryan Gosling as astronaut Neil Armstrong. Having perfected the obsessed artist trope inWhiplash, Chazelle knew how to capture Armstrong’s dangerous need to conquer space.
His preference for close-up, handheld shots reinforces the personal side of Armstrong’s story, where his family life is treated as equally important to his career.
Related:The Best Cold War Movies of All Time, Ranked
10. The Nice Guys (2016)
Ryan Gosling really let his (surprising) knack for comedic timing shine inThe Nice Guys. It’s an overlooked and difficult skill to master in the movie business, especially when you aren’t a comedy actor!
Gosling has made us laugh before, but inThe Nice Guys, he has us wheezing. His talent for balancing sincerity with exaggeration comes into play here as he depicts a loser private detective in 1970s LA.
Starring opposite Russell Crowe’s brooding competitor-turned-friend, Gosling spends most of Shane Black’s buddy-comedy stumbling around, confused, and drunk.
Related:The Best Bromance Movies With Close Friendships Between Guys
9. The Big Short (2015)
Capitalizing on his Saint Laurent-wearing, charming-man role inCrazy, Stupid, Love, Ryan Gosling later appeared as the money-loving salesman Jared Vennett inThe Big Short.
A Jordan Belfort-like narrator (The Wolf of Wall Street) who constantly breaks the fourth wall, Jared’s purpose inThe Big Shortis to both inform and entertain. Tick and tick.
The Big Shortis a fairly complicated look into the nitty-gritties of the 2008 financial crash, hence why we need Gosling there to explain it. And what a perfectly cast middleman he is, using humor to excite the corporate exposition.
8. The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)
Since his days of being told “you’re not handsome, you’re not cool, you’re just a regular guy who looks a bit nuts” by Nick Cassavetes, Ryan Gosling has aged like fine wine and managed to win over model/actress Eva Mendes. (Their marriage went public in 2022.)
The couple met on the set of Derek Cianfrance’s crime epicThe Place Beyond the Pines, in which Gosling is covered head-to-toe in tattoos and riding motorcycles in an ambitious exploration of masculinity.
Their bittersweet family plotline is taken over by Bradley Cooper in a surprising mid-way plot twist, followed byanothernew protagonist in the third act. A thematic triptych of fatherhood.
Related:The Best Movies That Change Genre, Tone, or Characters Halfway Through
7. Barbie (2023)
Ryan Gosling’s most recent film sees him with bleached hair and neon roller skates as he plays the Ken to Margot Robbie’s Barbie. Greta Gerwig used the kids toy as a platform to critique society, mostly through a pink-tinted feminist lens.
Gosling’s part as Ken in a Barbie world is just that: “just Ken.” A Ken that, after being transported to the real world, discovers what the patriarchy is and brings it back with him—then finds out he was #kenough all along.
Some people complained that Gosling’s performance overshadowed Barbie, which goes completely against the film’s point. Yet, you can’t blame him for being such a natural and likable comedian!
Related:The Best Movies Based on Real Toys and Games, Ranked
6. Half Nelson (2006)
Half Nelsonis an underappreciated indie gem that features Ryan Gosling as a lonely, cocaine-addicted history teacher in Brooklyn. Boy, range really is his middle name!
An inspiring teacher reminiscent of John Keating (Dead Poets Society) or Erin Gruwell (Freedom Writers), Dan uses unorthodox methods to better reach his students.
Director Ryan Fleck shoots almost exclusively in close-ups (making mainstream viewers click away in unfamiliarity) so thatHalf Nelsonfeels both claustrophobic and intimate.
This tight focus on Dan, whether freebasing in a locker room or picking up off a student, makes the emotional impact particularly sting.
Related:The Best Movies About Teachers and Students, Ranked
5. Blue Valentine (2010)
Blue Valentineemploys a close-up, handheld style that earned it high praise among cinephiles. Derek Cianfrance directs Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as a volatile couple across two timelines (who actually lived together in preparation for their roles).
Dean and Cindy begin their relationship in a sweet tale of modern courtship and young romance. The end of their marriage, though, is a much sadder story.
Gosling’s three-dimensional performance also gifts us a stripped-down version of the vocals he showed off inLa La Landas he sings his rendition of “You Always Hurt the One You Love.”
Related:The Best Movies About Toxic Relationships, Ranked
4. The Notebook (2004)
Ryan Gosling has played his part in a fair few movie romances, but none so iconic asThe Notebook. Probably his most mainstream film—which still makes the lists of “best movies to cry to” 20 years on—The Notebookis an adaptation of the novel by Nicholas Sparks.
Romance wasn’t quite dead back in the 1940s, the time period in whichThe Notebookis mostly set (even as it flicks back to the modern day because the plot is being recalled to usTitanic-style).
Gosling plays a working-class boy who chases an upper-class girl, then builds an entire mansion for her all while putting everyone’s husbands to shame. Say what you will aboutThe Notebook, but Gosling’s performance as Noah is one not to forget.
Related:The All-Time Best Love Stories in Movies, Ranked
3. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Sequels to cult classics are always risky business, but with Ryan Gosling in the driver seat,Blade Runner 2049was a pretty safe bet.
Continuing on from the story of Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard chasing androids in a dystopian Los Angeles, Gosling appears as a Nexus-9 replicant who believes Deckard is his father.
Denis Villeneuve contemporizes the cyberpunk aesthetics that madeBlade Runnerso visually iconic, making us gasp in awe at the smoke-filled, neon-lit images. But aside from looking awesome, Gosling grounded the film with his gritty depiction of a noir-like protagonist.
2. La La Land (2016)
We’ve already mentioned that Ryan Gosling can sing, but did you know he can also tap dance? And play piano? And guitar? And bass? Talk about a jack of all trades…
La La Landis one of the few musicals that even musical-haters enjoy, directed by Damien Chazelle whose passion for music can be found inWhiplash,Grand Piano, andGuy and Madeline on a Park Bench.
Gosling expertly harmonizes charisma, humor, romance, and passion to win over Emma Stone in this dreamy caricature of Hollywood, all while occasionally breaking out in song. We wouldn’t mind bumping into him at his jazz bar…
Related:The Best Movies About Jazz and Jazz Musicians, Ranked
1. Drive (2011)
Move over Steve McQueen! Ryan Gosling is the new certified King of Cool, most evident by his showing inDrivein which he makes up for his other appearances in some questionable action flicks (The Gray Man,Gangster Squad…).
Simply referred to as “Driver,” Gosling plays a man-of-few-words in Nicolas Winding Refn’s crime drama and puts in a brooding performance worthy of a standing ovation at Cannes.
Stuntman by day, getaway driver by night, Gosling’s protagonist is macho without the sexism, eventually falling for his new neighbor Irene (played by Carey Mulligan).
Sparse dialogue and slick cinematography makeDriveone for the film lovers, though be warned of its graphic violence.
Related:The Best Neo-Noir Movies of All Time, Ranked
