18 Best Ryan Gosling Movies Ranked

Ryan Gosling began his Hollywood career as a child actor, starting with a short stint on the Disney Channel's "The Mickey Mouse Club." From there, Gosling continued working at a consistent rate, with appearances in shows such as "Goosebumps" and "The Adventures of Shirley Holmes" before moving onto more mature projects, with early film roles including 2001's "The Believer" and 2002's "Murder by Numbers."

Gosling's breakout role was Noah Calhoun in the 2004 romantic drama "The Notebook," alongside Rachel McAdams. Following the huge, surprising success of that film, Gosling began his trajectory of becoming an A-list leading man in Hollywood. He continued on to more roles in a range of genres — drama, action, romance, comedy, the works — and is now a household name. He's been in many fantastic films over the years, and we've ranked the best of them here.

Proving early on in his career that he can hold his own alongside the greats, Ryan Gosling acted opposite Anthony Hopkins in Gregory Hoblit's "Fracture." Gosling's character Willy Beachum is a talented prosecutor about to leave his current job for one at a private law firm. Before leaving, he's given a case that is seemingly easy: A man, Ted Crawford (Hopkins), shot his wife in an attempt to kill her and is now acting as his own attorney in trial. When Ted turns out to be much more clever and cunning than expected, the trial goes from being an open and shut case to a long-winded and complex court battle.

With a 72% score on Rotten Tomatoes , "Fracture" was a solid step for Gosling as he furthered his career in the years following "The Notebook." The critics took a liking to his performance, with the New York Daily News  declaring that the film's success was due directly to its leads: "Although Hopkins could surely portray a charismatic killer in his sleep by now, he's clearly having a ball, while Gosling , gliding through every scene with deceptively casual confidence, seems determined to prove himself the best actor of his generation." While not his magnum opus by any means, "Fracture" remains a noteworthy entry in Gosling's career.

Ryan Gosling features as young football player Alan Bosley in the Denzel Washington-led, based-on-a-true-story sports vehicle "Remember the Titans." Directed by Boaz Yakin, the film is set in 1971 Virginia and focuses on Washington's Herman Boone as he takes on the coaching gig for the football team at TC Williams High School — a formerly all-white school with a recent history of integrating Black kids into the student body.

Gosling's role in the film is pretty minor, but it's fascinating to see him shine in this early role. Looking back now, his turn as Bosley is endearing to watch, knowing what a star he would soon become — Bustle even published an article in 2015 titled "Admiring Ryan Gosling About 'Remember The Titans.'" As for the film itself, "Remember the Titans" is an inspiring flick that sheds light on real world events with a compelling script. ReelViews wrote in its review: "As a crowd-pleasing, feel-good sports movie, the film is an unqualified success."

Ryan Gosling took on the role of another high school football player in "The Slaughter Rule," directed and written by Alex Smith and Andrew J. Smith. He plays Roy Chutney, a teenager cut from his high school football team mere days before his estranged father dies. Seeing football as a way to escape, Roy accepts the offer of a newcomer to the town named Gideon (David Morse), who recruits him for a six-man football team called the Renegades. The drama explores the relationship between player and coach, on and off the field.

"The Slaughter Rule" may have some things in common with "Remember the Titans" in terms of content and message, but the former gave Gosling something the latter did not: a leading role. It's Gosling's performance, alongside that of co-star Morse that critics agree is what truly makes the film worth watching. In its review, New York Magazine  singled out Gosling for praise, writing of the up-and-coming star: "22-year-old Ryan Gosling gives another memorable performance as a lonely, world-hating fatherless quarterback in 'The Slaughter Rule. '"

Directed by Derek Cianfrance (who also co-wrote the screenplay), "The Place Beyond the Pines" tells three interconnected stories involving a bank-robbing motorcycle stunt driver (Ryan Gosling), an ambitious cop (Bradley Cooper), and the impact their actions have on their sons fifteen years later. It dropped in 2012, at which point Gosling had already proven his dramatic chops several times over with memorable performances in films like "Blue Valentine" and "Drive." He did so again with "Pines," demonstrating that he could craft a nuanced, complex character.

Most of the critics who reviewed the film agreed that the performances by Gosling and his co-stars were solid. But some, such as Birmingham Mail , singled Gosling out for particular praise, feeling that his turn as Luke was a real highlight. "Gosling duly burns up the screen during every wonderful second he's on it," the outlet's review states. "The film's first half is truly mesmerizing. You can't take your eyes off its leading man."

Notable for being Ryan Gosling's first collaboration with Emma Stone, "Crazy, Stupid, Love" illustrates how their chemistry can heighten a film's love story. But Stone is not the only one that Gosling has chemistry with in "Crazy" — he and Steve Carrell, whose characters act as foils to each other, are great together. Written by Dan Fogelman ("This is Us") and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, "Crazy, Stupid, Love" stars Carrell as Cal Weaver, a man having an identity crisis amid an impending divorce. Wallowing at a bar, Cal meets suave serial dater Jacob (Gosling), who begins coaching him on how to get back in the dating game.

Film School Rejects had nothing but praise for the Gosling and Carrell pairing, writing that the duo make for "an engaging watch." The review adds: "The two have their own special brand of chemistry that keeps the film going." The New York Theater Wire honed in on the younger co-star in its review, saying: "It is Gosling who steals the show. Flexing his extraordinarily buffed torso and his acting chops, the young star proves his comic skills are as well honed as his dramatic ones, and that's saying a lot."

Arriving the same year as "Fracture" was another leading role for Ryan Gosling — albeit one that couldn't be any more different. Written by Nancy Oliver and directed by Craig Gillespie, "Lars and the Real Girl" has Gosling in the title role, a shy young man with difficulty making friends. Announcing to his brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law Karin (Emily Mortimer) that he has begun dating a woman he met on the internet, he then introduces them to a life-size r-rated doll who Lars believes to be real. Following the advice of a doctor, the family decides to go with it.

In this comedy-drama, Gosling shows sides of himself rarely seen at this stage of his career. It's both charming and a bit jarring to see Gosling step into the role of a man without confidence. The Standard wrote of his performance: "The acting is first-class, especially Gosling, who never patronizes his character." Gosling's compassionate and layered performance was, in fact, well received all around. Empire  called the film "A strangely affecting romance with real heart — and another sign that Gosling is one of the best young actors around."

2011 was a good year for Ryan Gosling: He appeared in "Crazy, Stupid, Love," "Drive," and "The Ides of March," three acclaimed films that further cemented his movie star status. "Ides" paired him with George Clooney in a political drama directed by Clooney (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Grant Heslov and Brian Oliver). Focused on Governor Mike Morris (Clooney), a candidate for presidency in the days before the all-important Ohio primary, he and his junior campaign manager Stephen Meyers (Gosling) begin to suspect political betrayal from those around them. Despite the film being stuffed with skilled, veteran actors, Gosling once again stole the show in many key scenes.

Because I Told You So noticed Gosling's frequent appearances in films this year and saw it as a positive, writing, "Yet another fantastic performance from Ryan Gosling, in what has turned out to be his breakout year that elevates him to the top rank of actors Playing an ambitious but virtuous political consultant to the next wannabe JFK (George Clooney), Gosling gets involved with a wide-eyed intern (Evan Rachel Wood) and flirts with defecting to the enemy. camp, led by Paul Giamatti. Gosling's own boss, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, has an agenda of his own, and the affairs and backroom dealings lead to a cutthroat political endgame that's engrossing to watch unfold."

An extremely charming, comedy-laden action film, "The Fall Guy" sees Ryan Gosling having as much fun as humanly possible with a rollicking concept that lets him go wild. The stunts are awesome, his chemistry with Emily Blunt is delightful, and the experience is smooth as silk. Gosling stars as Colt Seavers (Gosling), who was a top-notch stuntman when he broke his back. His back wasn't the only thing that shattered; his relationship with director Jody Moreno (Blunt) also went down the tubes. Colt has hit rock bottom when he hears from Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham), a producer on the films in which he appears. Gail tells him that the actor he used to regularly double for, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), has mysteriously disappeared. Colt soon finds himself in trouble with the same people who are trying to kill Tom.

This film is pure brain candy in the best way. The majority of critics loved "The Fall Guy," which is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 82%. Gosling came in for praise in several reviews, with ABC's Peter Travers being particularly complimentary. He wrote: "Ryan Gosling — he and Emily Blunt are romcom hotties to die for — knocks it out of the park in this insanely entertaining love letter to Hollywood's unsung action heroes — stunt performers. Listen up, academy: an Oscar category for stunts is way overdue." We couldn't agree more.

The film that put Ryan Gosling on the map, 2002's "The Believer" is a prime example of the raw power Gosling was putting into his early, pre-breakout performances. Written and directed by Henry Bean, "The Believer" centers on Danny Balint (Gosling), a young Jewish man with a Neo-Nazism. This extremely tough — and delicate — subject matter was no easy task to portray, and Gosling's ability to competently tackle the complicated role was noticed by critics.

"Gosling's Danny is frighteningly believable in his mad hatreds and when gradually confronting inner doubts," wrote Philip French in his review for  The Guardian . "We're convinced that against his will he can attract the fascist Lina's daughter (Summer Phoenix) into studying Hebrew and through his charisma still impress old Jewish friends."  The Des Moines Register  was also blown away by the newcomer's powerful presence, saying, "Gosling provides an amazing performance that dwarfs everything else in the film." 

The stellar pairing of Ryan Gosling with Michelle Williams gave life to "Blue Valentine," an often morose script that needed their considerable charms to make it a journey worth taking. The film depicts an evolving relationship, from its promising courtship to the falling apart of a marriage. Directed by Derek Cianfrance (who Gosling would work with again in "The Place Beyond the Pines"), the story is told through a nonlinear narrative, jumping between the early days of Dean (Gosling) and Cindy's (Williams) relationship and the later, less happy days of their marriage.

As we've seen from him before in several different capacities, Gosling excels at connecting with his scene partners, both romantic or otherwise. He and his equally talented co-star Williams came together to create vibrant electricity between their characters — both positively and negatively. In a rave review, Reel Talk Online wrote, "Williams's beautiful performance is played nicely off Gosling's remarkably vulnerable performance yielding a timeless portrayal of love, romance, agony and despair." The story is, at times, difficult to watch — but the performances prove compelling enough to keep your eyes on the screen for the entire duration.

Ryan Gosling stars as legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong in "First Man," a gripping biopic about the first human being to set foot on the moon. We see Armstrong in his early days up through several years of intense training and the test flight leading to the Apollo 11 mission alongside Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll) and Mike Collins (Lukas Haas). Written by Josh Singer and directed by Damien Chazelle (who proved a successful collaborator for Gosling with "La La Land"), the film was hardly a rocket at the box office, but Gosling's performance is on the money.

Taking on the role of a real-life figure is always a gamble for an actor — at best, it leads to that coveted Oscar win (appealing to an Academy that's a sucker for biopics), but at worst, it comes across as a missed-the-mark impression. While the role may not have garnered him that Oscar nomination for Gosling, his honest, stoic performance was what the movie needed. In praise of his turn as Armstrong, Tulsa World wrote, "Gosling is exceptionally restrained in a performance that, if all you know about Armstrong is that he was notoriously private (but not reclusive), will convince you of his conviction."

Ryan Gosling seems to enjoy taking on movies that feel like someone dared him to do it, and this decades-later sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 masterpiece "Blade Runner" was one that fans seemed hesitant to embrace and newcomers seemed unlikely to understand. Spearheaded by Denis Villeneuve and written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, "Blade Runner 2049" follows K (Gosling), a replicant Blade Runner who discovers a long-buried secret that leads him to Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who has been missing for decades since the events of the first film.

Much like the original flick, philosophical ruminations on the nature of man, machine and what it means to be alive give a bitter taste to the proceedings, as K scrambles to make sense of a futuristic world closing in around him. Vulture, in a review of the film, praised Gosling in his leading role: "The contradictions in Gosling's screen presence grant emotional weight to the film's aesthetic pleasures, and at times, suggest a more complex film, one that truly grapples with the philosophical threads it suggests."

Set in the freewheeling, stock-soaring days of the 2000s, Adam McKay's 2015 ensemble film "The Big Short" centers on Wall Street guru Michael Burry (Christian Bale), who bet against the housing market using over a billion dollars of his investors' money. Catching the attention of banker Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), hedge-fund specialist Mark Baum (Steve Carell), and retired former trader Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt), the four men begin working together to make big bucks taking advantage of the financial crisis of 2007-2008.

The story — which The Globe and Mail called "funny because it's true [and] tragic and frightening for the same reason" — is at the center of the viewer's experience here, with the cast merely enacting it. But the cast does so with skill and precision. This was very much a story fit for an ensemble cast, and Gosling's contributions enhanced that dynamic alongside the other talented cast members.

Ryan Gosling received his first Oscar nomination early in his career with "Half Nelson," which came out in 2006. Directed by Ryan Fleck (who co-wrote the screenplay with Anna Boden), "Half Nelson" centers on Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling), a young middle school teacher working in inner-city Brooklyn. After developing a friendship with his student Drey (Shareeka Epps), she discovers his drug addiction.

With that description alone, it's clear that Dan is an intricately woven character. Taking care of his students, but not of himself, the role presents an inherent contradiction that becomes more evident as his mentorship with Drey evolves. Gosling impressively embraced these contradictions, and the result was a performance worth re-visiting even all these years later. NPR called Gosling's performance "the year's most mesmerizing character study." Total Film declared in its review that this performance marked Gosling's potential to become "the most gifted actor of his generation."

Perhaps Ryan Gosling's most criminally underrated film, the 2016 Shane Black-directed action comedy film "The Nice Guys" is set in 1977 Los Angeles. Gosling plays private eye Holland March. He teams with enforcer Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), a man who gets hired to hurt people, when a young woman named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) mysteriously disappears. The film as a whole was a hit with critics — MovieFreak called it "a major blast," for one. Of course, much of the film's success can be narrowed down to Gosling and Crowe, who proved perfect together.

As for Gosling's role, specifically, he proved popular amongst critics. NME wrote that he "excels as a feckless and cowardly private investigator in a buddy comedy full of wit and energy," adding, "Gosling lets it all go in 'The Nice Guys,' blowing out a comedy performance of screaming, rubber-limbed glee. In leave-it-all-on-the-floor physical terms, it sort of brings to mind Johnny Depp in the first 'Pirates Of The Caribbean,' before Captain Jack became schtick. It's that committed." Bringing attention to his comedic chops, One Room With a View thinks that he has "never been funnier" than he is in "The Nice Guys."

Like "The Nice Guys," which also came out in 2016, "La La Land" has an impressive 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The latter has a slightly higher audience score, however, which is why we placed it higher on our list. That and the fact that it gave Gosling his second Oscar nomination — and his co-star Emma Stone an Oscar win. "La La Land" was an undeniable audience, critic and box-office triumph.

Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, "La La Land" centers on aspiring actor Mia (Stone) and aspiring jazz club owner Sebastian (Gosling), swiftly drawn to each other and bonded by their ambitious dreams. As their careers advance, however, they find their relationship straining and they grow apart. Once again, Gosling and Stone are electrifying together — Slashfilm categorized the duo as "a pairing for the ages." Of the leading man, The Mail on Sunday wrote: "Gosling's effortless-looking performance is relaxed, understated and, thanks to months of piano lessons, totally convincing."

Another fun romp with a purpose, Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" has depth and heart on top of humor and wit. A lot of that humor comes from Ryan Gosling's interpretation of a standard Ken, whose standard Barbie (Margot Robbie) experiences an existential crisis and begins taking on real-life problems. A consultation with Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) lets Barbie know that she needs to find the little girl who's playing with her in the real world and projecting her anxieties about life onto Barbie. She and her stowaway Ken go out into reality and find trouble. When the twosome become separated, Barbie goes on an odyssey of self-discovery.

Gosling busts loose in this fun performance, and he has the lion's share of iconic lines, from the "beach off" to his utterly joyful rendition of "I'm Just a Ken" — the hilarious song got an Oscar nod and helped "Barbie" on its way to becoming a box office smash. Emotional and packed with joy, "Barbie" is a laugh-a-minute film with something for everyone. "Gerwig's satire and the comedic chops of Robbie and, especially, Gosling fall into perfect rhythm once Barbie and Ken leave the candy-colored comforts of Barbie Land and Ken discovers the patriarchy," Filmspotting said in its review, just one of many that named Gosling's Ken as the film's highlight.

Ryan Gosling's turn in Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive" is often referred to as his finest, and with good reason — he's absolutely flawless in this film. Written by Hossein Amini, it tells the tale of The Driver, a skilled stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. After developing feelings for his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son Benicio (Kaden Leos), he finds himself joining Irene's husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) in a million dollar heist that goes horribly awry.

While a lot of the focus was on the aesthetic and the soundtrack at the time (it made a classic out of Kavinsky's "Nightcall"), it's Gosling's effortlessly cool turn as The Driver that really make this movie special. Gosling found himself being compared to some of the most noteworthy Hollywood greats, as The Bowling Green Daily News wrote: "It's a performance with little dialogue, but Gosling commands your attention — evoking memories of James Dean or early Marlon Brando in the process." The Saporta Report summed up not only Gosling's role in the film, but also his career in general: "Gosling's commitment is total; his talent unplumbed."