He’s Kenough … and he knows it.
Ryan Goslinghas earned high praise for his performance as Ken in 2023’sBarbie. Not only did the actor receive a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role, but his hit song in the movie,“I’m Just Ken,”has taken on a life of its own and has become a memorable part of Hollywood history in its own right.
Gosling first got his start in the early ’90s when he starred inThe All-New Mickey Mouse Clubalongside other soon-to-be-famous faces likeBritney Spears,Justin Timberlake,Christina AguileraandKeri Russell. Since then, Gosling has starred in everything from Oscar-winning dramas to sci-fi adventures, rom-com favorites and more.
Ahead of the 2024Oscars, here are Ryan Gosling’s best movies, includingBarbie,La La Land,The Notebookand more.
The Notebook
The Notebook - 2004 Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams.Melissa Moseley/New Line/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
One of Gosling’s first major film roles was in 2004’sThe Notebook, where he starred alongsideRachel McAdams. Based on the 1996 Nicholas Sparks novel, the movie follows two lovers who meet in the 1940s and begin a whirlwind romance, concluding with the couple in their old age.The Notebookalso has a moving and somewhat heartbreaking twist ending, which is a rarity for romance films. The movie became a smash hit and hashad a lasting legacyas one of the most iconic romantic films ever.
WatchThe Notebookon Hulu
Half Nelson
Ryan Gosling in ‘Half Nelson’.Journeyman/Kobal/Shutterstock
Journeyman/Kobal/Shutterstock
Gosling received his first Oscar nomination for his role in 2006’sHalf Nelson, a film about a high school teacher who is secretly hiding a drug addiction. As his addiction grows worse, he begins to lose track of his life and his lies are exposed. “I didn’t want to portray the typical roller-coaster ride of addiction,” GoslingtoldThe Seattle Timesin 2006. “This story was about the monotony of being an addict.”Half Nelsonalso stars Anthony Mackie and Denis O’Hare.
WatchHalf Nelsonon Peacock
Lars and the Real Girl
Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, and Paul Schneider in ‘Lars and The Real Girl’.Sidney Kimmel Entertainment/Kobal/Shutterstock
Sidney Kimmel Entertainment/Kobal/Shutterstock
In 2007’sLars and the Real Girl, Gosling plays Lars, an isolated young man with a debilitating amount of social anxiety. To subconsciously alleviate his loneliness, Lars buys a life-size sex doll, whom he names Bianca, and begins treating her like his girlfriend. Before long, the town sees how much the doll is helping Lars and they all begin to treat her like a real person. Gosling earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role and the film received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
WatchLars and the Real Girlon Tubi
Blue Valentine
Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling in ‘Blue Valentine’.Hunting Lane Films/Kobal/Shutterstock
Hunting Lane Films/Kobal/Shutterstock
In 2010, Gosling returned to the big screen after a three-year hiatus withBlue Valentine. He stars alongsideMichelle Williams(who received an Oscar nomination for her role) as a couple during two eras of their relationship: the heated and passionate beginning of their romance, and their destructive, unhappy marriage years later.Blue Valentineis gripping, raw and often painful, with Gosling and Williams’ fantastic performances making the story feel all too real.
WatchBlue Valentineon Max
Drive
Ryan Gosling in ‘Drive’.Films/Kobal/Shutterstock
Films/Kobal/Shutterstock
InDrive, Gosling plays a character known only as The Driver, a Hollywood stuntman and criminal-for-hire. But he gets in a little too deep after he agrees to take on what seems like a simple heist job, but finds himself in the middle of two dueling mafia gangs.Drivepremiered to rave reviews, and though the movie isn’t known as an ensemble film, it has a fantastic cast loaded with stars likeChristina Hendricks,Carey Mulligan,Oscar Issac,Bryan CranstonandRon Perlman.
RentDriveon Prime Video
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’.Ben Glass/Shutterstock
Ben Glass/Shutterstock
In this 2011 rom-com, Gosling plays a womanizer named Jacob who helps Cal (Steve Carell), a recently divorced father, get his mojo back and re-enter the dating field. The two become good friends until Cal learns that Jacob’s latest fling is with … his daughter. From there, sparks fly in all directions and every character in the movie quickly realizes they’re all connected in a web of sex, love and lies. Also in the cast areEmma StoneandJulianne Moore.
WatchCrazy, Stupid, Loveon Hulu
La La Land
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling La La Land.Lionsgate
Gosling received his second Oscar nomination for the 2016 romantic filmLa La Land. In the movie, he and Emma Stone play two Angelinos who fall in love while struggling to build careers in the entertainment industry. Though set in the present day, the movie is a nod to the Golden Age of Hollywood.La La Landwas nominated for a whopping 13 Oscars, winning Best Director andBest Actress for Stone’s performance.
RentLa La Landon Prime Video
Blade Runner 2049
Ryan Gosling in ‘Blade Runner 2049’.Stephen Vaughan/Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock
Stephen Vaughan/Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock
Taking place 30 years after the first film,Blade Runner 2049sees Gosling play K, a clone-like “replicant” – a race that society treats like slaves and views as non-human since they’re created through bioengineering. But after K discovers that replicants can reproduce on their own, the lines between what is and isn’t life get blurred, and that knowledge risks sparking a replicant uprising. The movie became a blockbuster hit and was praised for its visual effects. It also saw the return of Harrison Ford whoreprised his role as Rick Deckard.
WatchBlade Runner 2049on Hulu
First Man
Ryan Gosling in ‘First Man’.Daniel McFadden/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
Daniel McFadden/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
RentFirst Manon Prime Video
Barbie
BARBIE, Ryan Gosling as Ken, 2023.Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures
Bright, colorful, fun, quirky and zany … but also filled with tons of hard-hitting critiques about power dynamics in our society,Barbiedidn’t just become 2023’s biggest film, it also went down in history as one of thehighest-grossing movies of all time. With a fantastic script, anepic all-star castand even aGrammy-winning original songwithBillie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For,“Barbieexploded into a global phenomenon. Gosling has earned several awards and nominations for his role as Ken, including an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe, Grammy, SAG Award and more.
WatchBarbieon Max
source: people.com
