Not many actors in Hollywood are hotter right now than Ryan Gosling. He's fresh off one of the biggest hits of the year, Project Hail Mary, which has led to many suggesting he'll land an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. That's just another in a long line of successes for the talented actor, as his resume over the past few years also includes the likes of The Fall Guy and Barbie, while the past decade has also seen Blade Runner 2049 and La La Land.
Ryan Gosling started acting in the '90s and his first notable movie was Remember the Titans in 2000, though it wasn't a big role for him. He then broke out with his starring role in The Notebook, which is considered one of the best romance movies ever. He also went on to score major award nominations for his work in Half Nelson and Lars and the Real Girl. However, it still took a few years before he truly took the moviemaking world by storm.
That year was 2011 when Ryan Gosling pulled off something rare. He starred in not one, not two, but three feature films in the same year and all three are pretty great. It's a year that cemented Gosling as a star and showed the world just how versatile he is as a performer.
The first major Ryan Gosling movie of 2011 was Crazy, Stupid, Love, which is one of the best romantic comedies ever made. The film follows a series of love stories that interconnect in ways you likely wouldn't expect. The focal point is Cal Weaver (Steve Carell), a man who found out that his wife was having an affair, and he looks to learn how to pick up women after they separate. He meets Jacob Palmer (Gosling), a womanizer who helps him.
The other stories involve Jacob falling for Hannah (Emma Stone), Cal's one night stand with a teacher (Marisa Tomei), and more, but Gosling shines. This was one of the earliest chances for him to show off his comedic chops, which has become something he's excellent at. Whether it's in his Oscar nominated turn as Ken in Barbie or as a bumbling private eye in The Nice Guys, Gosling is hilarious. His comedic chops are also a big reason why Project Hail Mary works so well.
In Crazy, Stupid, Love, Gosling delivers every line so well. He gets to be shocked and appalled at all the everyday things about Cal, from his demeanor to his wardrobe. The scenes where he has to say his pickup lines are also great and then, outside of the laughs, Gosling also has electric chemistry with Emma Stone. Gosling and Stone went on to star in three total movies together.
A few months after Crazy, Stupid, Love, Ryan Gosling was at the forefront of another movie. This time, his work leaned into the action genre as she starred in Drive, a film by Nicolas Winding Refn, whom Gosling has collaborated with a few times. Drive has gone down as one of the most stylish movies of its time, with Gosling's unnamed protagonist giving us one of the best modern characters who does a lot with only limited dialogue.
Drive sees his character, a Hollywood stunt driver by day and getaway driver by night, work with the husband (Oscar Isaac) of a woman he's romantically interested in (Carey Mulligan) to commit a heist, only for things to go awry. It's a slow-burning action movie, which isn't something you see often, yet it works so well due to the great soundtrack, cool visual style, and Gosling's performance. This was a movie that proved he could lead an action project.
On top of his great performance, Drive is also one of Gosling's best overall films. It was a hit with critics, sitting at a cool 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It also landed an Academy Award nomination for Sound Editing and, after not being a huge commercial success, it has gained a cult following in the years since.
When people think of Ryan Gosling's greatest films, both Drive and Crazy, Stupid, Love are in the conversation. Another movie that should be in consideration is The Ides of March, yet not all that many people seem to talk about it. The film kind of came and went without making all that much of an impact, even though it should have. It was a mild box office success, raking in just over $75 million on a budget of around $12.5 million, yet it still wasn't all that known to the masses.
The Ides of March is a political drama that is based on the 2008 play Farragut North. It tells the story of Mike Morris, the charismatic Governor of Pennsylvania and a Democratic candidate for President of the United States, and the relationship he has with Stephen Meyers, his junior campaign manager and press secretary. The two deal with the ups and downs of the campaign, leading to high drama.
Although The Ides of March isn't all that well known, it should be considering the talent involved. Gosling plays Meyers, while the incredible George Clooney portrays Mike Morris. Clooney also directed and co-wrote the film, earning a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination. Gosling's performance is more reserved than in his other two 2011 movies, which showcases just how versatile he is as an actor. Gosling is someone who can step into any situation and deliver the goods.
If you want to see Ryan Gosling at his funniest, then Crazy, Stupid, Love is there for you. If you want to see his outstanding work as an action star, then Drive is the ideal place to lock. If you want to see how he works in a more nuanced drama, check out The Ides of March. 2011 might not have been the biggest year of Ryan Gosling's career but it's the one that really introduced the world to the kind of actor he is and it helped turn him into the star he is today.
