Ryan Gosling Movies
Despite his confident good looks and his role as the son of Zeus on television's popular Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Ryan Gosling ironically used to get chuckles by donning a Speedo and flexing like a professional weightlifter as a scrawny six-year-old. Born in London, Ontario, Canada, in November 1980, and raised in nearby Cornwall, Gosling was withdrawn for private schooling early on due to harassment by his classmates. Quickly learning the value of confidence, the bright youngster focused his energy into acting and landed a two-year role on The Mickey Mouse Club at age 12. Soon moving on to television commercials and roles in such films as Disney's Frankenstein and Me (1996), Gosling returned to television in 1997 for the short-lived Breaker High before finding more sturdy television ground in his Hercules role the following year. Since then, the actor has tackled increasingly challenging roles such as his turn as a conflicted Jewish student in The Believer (2001) and as a teen who commits murder in the name of mercy in The United States of Leland (2002). That same year, the increasingly busy Gosling starred in both The Slaughter Rule, and alongside Sandra Bullock in the crime thriller Murder by Numbers.Though he was racking up credibility as a serious young actor in indie features, Gosling became an unlikely box-office heartthrob with the 2004 summer-season romance The Notebook. Starring opposite another young break-out Canadian actor, Rachel McAdams, Gosling added some depth to the otherwise treacly adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' popular tome of enduring love before and after World War II. Rather than parlay his newfound fame into leading-man action roles, Gosling chose a route not unlike Edward Norton before him, alternating between indie features and challenging, bigger-budget Hollywood productions. This strategy didn't yield great dividends with the spooky 2005 misfire Stay, but it did bring Gosling high praise for the 2006 Sundance Festival favorite Half Nelson. A slice-of-life drama focusing on a young, cocaine-addicted, inner-city middle-school teacher and the student with whom he forms a bond, the film offered Gosling the opportunity to play another intense, conflicted young man in a natural, effortless style, a performance aided in large part by his bracing young co-star Shareeka Epps. Helped by glowing reviews, the micro-budgeted Half Nelson became an arthouse success through awards season, when Gosling's name was mentioned by numerous critics' organizations in year-end honors. Though ignored by the Golden Globes, the dark-horse Gosling was recognized among a formidable group of Best Actors when Oscar nominations were announced.
Having cemented himself as one of the most formidable actors of his generation, Gosling next signed on for a quirky 2007 drama called Lars and the Real Girl, about a small town man who falls in love with a life sized doll. His performance in the film earned him a Golden Globe nod, but Gosling still had other goals he wanted to pursue. He spent the next few years playing and recording with his band, Dead Man's Bones, which released a self-titled debut in 2009. When Gosling returned to acting the following year, it was for a heart-wrenching independent relationship drama called Blue Valentine, opposite Michelle Williams. Based on a short film, the movie told the story of a relationship by showing its beginning and its end. Gosling was nominated for yet another Golden Globe, but was still up for a challenge. For his next project, he took on the thriller All Good Things, playing an upper class husband who turns violent and psychotic in All Good Things. Next on the docket was 2011's Drive, which found Gosling playing a stunt man turned getaway driver, quickly followed by the political thriller The Ides of March, opposite George Clooney. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, and Ryan Gosling star in this Warner Bros. adaptation of the L.A. Times article on a squad of cops in 1940s Los Angeles whose job it was to stop East Coast Mafiosos from setting up shop in their city. Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer directs; Michael Peña, Emma Stone, Robert Patrick, and Nick Nolte also star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, (more)
- 2012
Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn and star Ryan Gosling reunite for this intense crime drama set in Thailand, and following a powerful crime boss seeking bitter vengeance for the murder of her son. English gangster Julian (Gosling) and his brother Billy are the owners of a Thai boxing club that covers for a lucrative drug smuggling operation. Using the business as a front, they deliver the drugs to London, where their ruthless mother Jenna (Kristin Scott Thomas) sits at the head of a powerful criminal empire. Upon learning that Billy has been murdered, Jenna travels to Bangkok to claim his body, and bury the people responsible for his death. Later, as the death toll rises along with the stakes, an intense conflict leads to a last chance for salvation. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling
Sad-sack divorcée Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) finds his second wind in life after meeting a handsome young ladies' man who teaches him how to become a master of the modern dating scene. A devoted family man who married his high school sweetheart, Cal had a great house and a stable job when his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), left him to be with another man. When Emily announces that she's filing for divorce, Cal finds himself awkwardly thrust into the dating scene and begins drinking his nights away at the local pub. Just when it's starting to look as if there's no hope for Cal, confirmed bachelor Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) decides to add some much-needed excitement to the sulking, newly single father's life. Before long, Cal's rough edges have all been smoothed out; he's mastered the fine art of flirting and develops a distinct sense of style that sets him apart from the pack. But just as Cal starts to turn heads, his adolescent son, Robbie, develops a big crush on his teenage babysitter, Jessica. Unfortunately for Robbie, Jessica only has eyes for Cal. Meanwhile, Cal can't help but feel like something substantial is missing from his life, and decides that the only way to set things straight is by listening to his heart. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, (more)
George Clooney goes behind the camera for the fourth time to direct The Ides of March, an adaptation of Beau Willimon's play Farragut North. The movie stars Ryan Gosling as Stephen Meyers, an idealistic deputy campaign manager for Governor Mike Morris (Clooney), who is in a major political battle in Ohio that could be the key to winning the Democratic presidential nomination. When the opposing candidate's campaign manager (Paul Giamatti) offers Stephen a job on his staff, Stephen neglects to inform his boss (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Just as that omission is revealed, Stephen uncovers a dirty personal secret that could sink Morris' political career. The Ides of March screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, (more)
A lone-wolf Hollywood stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) moonlights as a freelance getaway wheelman, and he finds his solitary existence taking on new meaning after befriending Irene (Carey Mulligan), the lonely wife of convicted felon Standard (Oscar Isaac), and her young son Benicio (Kaden Leos). When Standard gets released from prison and is strong-armed into committing a bold daytime robbery, the Driver offers his services in an effort to help the repentant ex-con cut his ties to the criminal underworld. Things get complicated, however, when the robbery goes unexpectedly awry, and the Driver just barely manages to escape alive. When the take from the job proves to be stratospherically higher than the Driver was led to believe, it quickly becomes apparent that they were set up. Later, thugs threaten to kill Irene and Benicio, and all evidence points to transplanted New York crime boss Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) and his hot-headed partner Nino (Ron Perlman) as the masterminds. As the Driver attempts to turn the tables on them, it becomes clear that the chain of command goes much higher than he could have ever anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, (more)
- 2010
In the 1960s and 70s, young people in America were caught up in a wave of political and social activism, speaking out about racism, civil rights, free speech, war, police brutality and a wide variety of other matters in a wide variety of ways. In the 21st century, youth activism is no longer in vogue, and apathy and a belief that the system is beyond changing have become common among contemporary students. What caused these changes? What can be done to engage young people in the political process? And what sorts of youngsters are still involved in activism? Filmmaker Phillip Montgomery addresses these issues in his documentary ReGeneration, in which the changing tides of political opinion and media coverage are examined, as well as three different groups of young people -- a band of leftist musicians and activists, a young family of conservatives, and a handful of high school students discussing their future and their political views. ReGeneration also includes interviews from Howard Zinn, Amy Goodman, Noam Chomsky, Mos Def and Talib Kweli; Ryan Gosling, who helped produce the film, narrates. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling
The wealthy heir to a prominent real-estate magnate becomes caught up in a high-profile murder investigation in this thriller inspired by the real-life case of Robert Durst, who was suspected of murdering his wife, Kathie, after she vanished without a trace in 1982. Warned by his father (Frank Langella) that the common girl (Kirsten Dunst) he loves will never be accepted into high society, the young scion (Ryan Gosling) throws caution to the wind and marries her regardless. Later, when the girl disappears and politics enter the picture, a suspicious series of deaths leave a haunted cop convinced that the truth is closer than anyone realizes. Philip Baker Hall and Jeffrey Dean Morgan star in this period mystery written by Marc Smerling and Marcus Hinchey, and directed by Andrew Jarecki (Capturing the Friedmans). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, (more)
A relationship is charted from its promising beginning to its sad collapse in this independent drama from Derek Cianfrance. Dean (Ryan Gosling) meets Cindy (Michelle Williams) when they're in their late teens; he's working for a moving company, she's a college student visiting her elderly grandmother at a home for the elderly. Cindy is dating Bobby (Mike Vogel), her boyfriend from high school, but as she gets to know Dean better, a mutual attraction grows between them. Years later, Dean and Cindy are married and have a daughter, Frankie (Faith Wladyka), but they're clearly not as happy as they once were; Dean loves his daughter but feels distant from his wife, they have to look after an elderly relative (John Doman), and when Cindy bumps into Bobby while running errands, it's clear he still holds a grudge against her. Dean and Cindy go away for a weekend together at a hotel, but it doesn't take long for them to realize that the magic isn't coming back. Blue Valentine received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, (more)
A structural engineer (Anthony Hopkins) and an ambitious young district attorney (Ryan Gosling) become locked in a deadly battle of wits when the former is found innocent in the attempted murder of his wife in director Gregory Hoblit's tense tale of courtroom mind games. Ted Crawford (Hopkins) is an engineer who lives with his wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz), in the couple's lavish Southern California home. One day, after carefully planning out the details to ensure that there is no way he can be convicted of murder, Ted shoots his wife in a blatant attempt to kill the woman. When head hostage negotiator Rob Nunally (Billy Burke) arrives on the scene to speak with Ted, he is shocked to find that the victim of the shooting is in fact his longtime lover. Though Jennifer survives the trauma of being shot in the head at close range, she hovers comatose between life and death as star prosecutor Willy Beachum (Gosling) reluctantly accepts the case while preparing to leave the Los Angeles criminal court system behind for a more promising career at a posh private law firm. Though the DA (David Strathairn) vehemently resents Beachum's lofty plan for departure, the hotshot young lawyer remains convinced that he can expedite the apparently open-and-shut case and be on his way to greener pastures in one week's time at the very most. Beachum's swelling ego betrays him, however, as his future boss Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike) begins to turn up the heat and fracture mechanics specialist Ted chooses to represent himself at the trial knowing well that a career spent spotting structural flaws in aeronautical systems has instilled him with just the kind of argumentative skills needed to riddle the swaggering young lawyer's "foolproof" case with doubt. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, (more)
Lars (Ryan Gosling) and Gus (Paul Schneider) are the grown children of a father who died recently and a mother who died giving birth to Lars. But as brothers, they couldn't be more different. While Gus lives in the family home and has a loving wife (Emily Mortimer) and a child on the way, Lars leads a more reclusive existence in the family's garage, hiding in plain sight of his small, wintry hometown. Painfully shy and eccentric, Lars fails to recognize that his co-worker Margo (Kelli Garner) has a major crush on him, and he picks up on a casual reference made by his cubicle mate, who mentions a website where you can order life-sized, anatomically correct sex dolls. But instead of seeing a sex object, Lars sees in this doll a potential life partner and the only kind of social "peer" he can relate to. So Lars orders a doll, whom he names Bianca, and begins treating her with utmost gentlemanly respect -- and as though she's his real-life, flesh-and-blood girlfriend. As he begins bringing Bianca with him everywhere he goes, the townspeople have to find just the right balance between supporting Lars' unusual romance and trying to introduce him to a more conventional partner. Lars and the Real Girl was written by Six Feet Under scribe Nancy Oliver and directed by Mr. Woodcock's Craig Gillespie. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, (more)
An inner-city teacher struggling with addiction forms an unlikely bond with a young student who catches him in a compromising position in director Ryan Fleck's feature-length adaptation of his own award-winning short film Gowanus, Brooklyn. Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) leads a secret life that the majority of his students will never know. When Dunne's drug-soaked nightlife begins to bleed over into his daytime hours and troubled student Drey (Shareeka Epps) makes a startling discovery, the tenuous bond that forms between the pair soon leads to a warm friendship that could either lead them down a dangerous path or provide the human companionship needed to see things from a fresh perspective and start life anew. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, (more)
A man struggling to save the life of another finds himself drawn into a strange netherworld he didn't know existed in this stylish thriller. Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor) is a psychiatrist living in New York City with his girlfriend, Lila Culpepper (Naomi Watts), who was once one of his patients. However, it's another one of his patients who becomes the focus of his obsessions when Henry Letham (Ryan Gosling), a disturbed young man whom Foster took over from a colleague, announces during a session that he intends to commit suicide in three days, on his 21st birthday. Sam takes the threat quite seriously and tries to track down Henry, who seems to have disappeared. Sam speaks to a number of Henry's friends and acquaintances -- his mother (Kate Burton), the man he claimed was his father, Dr. Leon Patterson (Bob Hoskins), a waitress who regularly served Henry at the coffee shop where she works (Elizabeth Reaser), and his former therapist Dr. Beth Levy (Janeane Garofalo). As Sam talks to people in Henry's circle, he finds he's learning more about himself than the man he's supposed to save, and he begins to drift into an emotional netherworld where the supposedly dead and the living cross paths. Stay was directed by Marc Forster, who had previously enjoyed breakthrough hits with two very different films, Monster's Ball and Finding Neverland. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, (more)
Directed by Nick Cassavetes, this adaptation of author Nicholas Sparks' bestselling novel revolves around Noah Calhoun's (James Garner) regular visits to a female patron (Gena Rowlands) of an area nursing home. Rather than bore her with the inanities of everyday life, Calhoun reads from an old, faded notebook containing the sweeping account of a young couple (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams) whose love affair was tragically put to a halt after their separation in the midst of World War II. Seven years later, the couple was reunited, and, despite having taken radically different paths, they found themselves unable to resist the call of a second chance. The Notebook also features Joan Allen, Sam Shepard, and Kevin Connolly. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, (more)
Produced by Kevin Spacey, The United States of Leland is a psychological drama concerning the aftereffects of a brutal murder. It's also the first big-studio theatrical release for writer/director Matthew Ryan Hoge, whose previous work consists of the independent comedy Self Storage. Ryan Gosling plays Leland, an imprisoned teenager doing time for the stabbing murder of a disabled boy. Prison writing teacher Pearl Madison (Don Cheadle) gets caught up in the story with the intention of making a book out of it, especially when he finds out that Leland's father is the famous novelist Albert Fitzgerald (Spacey). Pearl's investigation uncovers some of the details and effects of the murder for everyone involved, including the victim's parents, Harry (Martin Donovan) and Karen Pollard (Ann Magnuson). Jena Malone plays Becky, the teenage junkie who is both Leland's ex-girlfriend and the victim's sister. The situation also complicates the relationship between Becky's older sister, Jennifer (Michelle Williams), and her sensitive boyfriend, Allen (Chris Klein). The United States of Leland premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, Don Cheadle, (more)
A teenager at a personal crossroads finds himself questioning the things that have given his life meaning in this independent coming-of-age drama. Roy Chutney (Ryan Gosling) is a high school senior in a small Montana town. Roy doesn't have an especially close relationship with his mother Evangelline (Kelly Lynch), and he hasn't seen his father in years. That doesn't prevent Roy from feeling emotionally devastated when he learns that his father has killed himself, and Roy's self-esteem takes a beating when he's cut from the high school football team shortly afterward. Roy wiles away his time swilling beer with his best friend, Tracy Two Dogs (Eddie Spears), and falling into a romance with Skyla (Clea Duvall), a barmaid at a local tavern, but it seems Roy's short time on the high school gridiron impressed Gideon Ferguson (David Morse), a local character who coaches a semi-pro six-man football team when he isn't delivering newspapers or trying to score a gig singing country songs at nearby honky-tonks. Gid thinks Roy has potential, and asks him to join his team; encouraged by Gid's belief in him, Roy agrees, and he persuades Tracy to tag along. While playing hardscrabble six-man football helps restore Roy's self-confidence, he finds it doesn't answer his questions about his future or his relationship with Skyla, and when Gid's overwhelming interest in Roy begins to lend credence to the rumors that Gid is gay, Roy starts to wonder just why he was asked to join the team. Jay Farrar, founder of the acclaimed alternative country bands Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, composed the film's musical score. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, David Morse, (more)
When a pair of bright-but sociopathic teens conspires to commit the perfect murder, a troubled cop teams with her eager new partner to solve the case that left the community in fear and the police without a clue. High school ladies' man Richard Haywood (Ryan Gosling) and outcast Justin Pendleton (Michael Pitt) have no motive to commit murder, but they soon conspire to choose a random victim and pin the crime on local pot dealer Ray (Chris Penn), under the guise that the police will never suspect them of such a brutal act. Determined Det. Cassie Merriweather (Sandra Bullock) is assigned to the case, and quickly becomes suspicious of the elusive teens despite the doubts expressed by her superiors and her lack of solid evidence. Soon entering into a dangerous test of wills with the increasingly desperate and dangerous teens, her investigation leads her down a disturbing path that will test her skills as a detective and her will to survive. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sandra Bullock, Ryan Gosling, (more)
In this powerful and disturbing drama, Danny Balint (Ryan Gosling) is a member of a gang of racist skinheads who espouses a vile but well-articulated philosophy of anti-Semitism. Danny also has a secret -- he is a Jew, and was a top student in Hebrew school before he began to ask too many questions about the deeper implications of the teachings in the Torah and the Old Testament, leading to his expulsion. Angry and confused, Danny began to explore the philosophies of the neo-Nazi movement, which he soon came to embrace through a mixture of anger over the tragic history of the Jewish people, bitterness over his experiences in Hebrew school, and a loathing of himself. Danny soon becomes a key member of a skinhead sect led by Curtis (Billy Zane) and Lina (Theresa Russell), but while Curtis and Lina believe that the desire for cultural assimilation by many American Jews will lead to their self-destruction, Danny advocates a more direct and violent approach in dealing with the "enemy." Danny gains the admiration of his fellow skinheads for his intelligence and commitment, and wins the affection of Carla (Summer Phoenix), a group member with severe masochistic tendencies. But in time Danny's beliefs begin to shift once again, just as the truth about his background becomes known to his comrades. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, The Believer was inspired by the true story of Daniel Burros, a member of the American Nazi Party who committed suicide in the 1960s when it was revealed by the press that he was born to a Jewish family. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix, (more)
A high school football coach finds himself fighting for stakes much higher than the State Championship in this drama based on actual events. In 1971, a court order forces three high schools in Alexandria, Virginia (two white, one African-American), to integrate their student bodies and faculties for the first time. As a result, Coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton), longtime head coach of the T.C. Williams High School football team, is asked to step down, and Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is appointed to replace him as the school's first black faculty member. The new coach is hardly welcomed with open arms, either by the school's staff or the students, and the newly integrated team is full of players (both black and white) who have little trust or respect for one another. But Boone is determined to put a winning team on the field -- it's how he approaches the game, and his future depends on it. Against long odds, Boone helps his team overcome distrust and misunderstanding of their coach (and each other) as they become a gridiron force to be reckoned with. Remember the Titans also features Nicole Ari Parker, Kate Bosworth, and Jerry Brandt, and was produced by action-film kingpin Jerry Bruckheimer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington, Will Patton, (more)
- 1999
Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) discovers that all is not well at Cheiron's academy where the upperclassmen have seized control and are running a riot. When the headmaster quits in disgust, Hercules is pressed into service as a replacement. His first task: To thwart the machination of senior cadet Zylus (Ryan Gosling) who has convinced his pals to forsake the warriors' values instilled in Hercules and other graduates, and to instead become conscienceless mercenaries. And remember: a mind is a terrible thing to waste. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst, (more)
- 1996
- PG
Set in a tiny Mojave desert town, this Canadian children's tale centers on Earl Williams, a 12-year-old boy obsessed with the notion of bringing back Frankenstein from the dead. Earl loves horror and frequently draws chilling pictures in class, something that gets him in trouble with his super-strict teacher Mrs. Perdue. Earl's father is a failed Hollywood actor and much of the boy's dreaminess comes from him. Earl gets a chance to enact his dream on Halloween night just after the police bring him and his buddy back home after catching them trying to sneak in to the drive-in to watch Night of the Living Dead. As soon as they can, the boys sneak out to a traveling carnival where they try to break into the House of Mysteries to investigate the "actual authentic Frankenstein's Monster" said to reside within. The next day the carnival heads to a new town, but as one truck pulls away, the monster falls out and is left in the road. Earl finds it and spends the rest of the picture trying to bring it back to life. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jamieson Boulanger, Burt Reynolds, (more)
