The Best and Worst of Ryan Gosling

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "The Nice Guys" star Ryan Gosling.

Films starring Ryan Gosling that I've seen:
Remember the Titans
The Notebook
Fracture 
Blue Valentine
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Drive
The Ides of March
Gangster Squad
The Place Beyond the Pines
Only God Forgives
The Big Short

Best Performance: Drive (2011)
A common criticism of Gosling's acting is his inability to convey emotion. In Drive, that "flaw" proves to be a major asset. Gosling gives a cold, intense performance as a soft-spoken getaway driver who goes on a quest for vengeance after a bad heist puts the lives of him and the woman he loves (Carey Mulligan) in danger. The fact that Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Solider Spy) and winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist) got nominated for Best Actor over Gosling is a travesty.

Worst Performance: Only God Forgives (2013)
The emotionless presence that made his performance in Drive so memorable is the same reason his turn in Only God Forgives fails miserably. While the atrocious writing and weak plot certainly don't help matters, Gosling's combination of prolonged blank, confused staring into the camera with occasional bursts of cartoon-like overacting makes this performance a monumental dud in an otherwise stellar body of work. 

Best Film: Remember the Titans (2000)
Gosling's most critically-acclaimed films (Drive, Blue Valentine and The Big Short) are all excellent films with top-notch acting, directing and writing, but none of them have the immense re-watchability and lingering emotional impact of Remember the Titans. It may be in the same mold as countless other fact-based, inspirational sports dramas, but the way Remember the Titans handles themes of racial equality and unity combined with a sensational lead performance from Denzel Washington as the titular team's head coach makes it one of the genre's standout films.  

Worst Film: Only God Forgives (2013) 
Only God Forgives is the film that caused me to develop a deep hatred of Nicolas Winding Refn's writing. Refn is more concerned with shocking the audience with bursts of over-the-top graphic violence and beating them over the head with cheap romantic and religious symbolism than telling a coherent and engaging story. Refn's pretension and lack of storytelling ability makes me wish he would just stick to directing for the rest of his career.

Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "X-Men: Apocalypse" star Michael Fassbender.