Ryan Gosling is not usually described as funny. He’s your classic leading man – expected to be charismatic and charming but not laugh-out-loud funny. He made his name in emotional dramas likeThe Notebook andBlue Valentine,and then hypermasculine roles inDrive,Only God Forgives andBlade Runner 2049.
But Gosling is funny. In fact,he’s a comedic force,with several guffaw-inducing performances under his belt. He’s become a better,more watchable and more consistently bankable comedic lead than any other male actor going around – better than Will Ferrell,Seth Rogen or Jonah Hill.
Unfortunately,Gosling has fallen into a trap that has affected many actors,who are so traditionally good-looking that they get typecast as stoic leads,despite being at their best when allowed to embrace their weirdest impulses;character actors trapped in the chiselled bodies of movie stars (I know,what a problem to have).
Brad Pitt was always best in bonkers supporting roles,like the psychotic mental patient inTwelve Monkeys and the baffling boxing champion inSnatch. Robert Pattinson fought his teen heart-throb past to become one of Hollywood’s most unpredictable stars,game for anything in movies likeGood Time andThe Lighthouse. Gosling is cut from the same cloth.
He first showed his penchant for playing against type inLars and the Real Girl,as a socially awkward man who falls in love with a lifelike doll. The premise could easily be a one-note mockery of the lonely. Instead,Gosling ensures Lars is the heart of the film rather than the butt of the joke. It’s an offbeat and eccentric performance but understated,never veering into caricature.
Many famous comedic actors lapse into cringey gags and lazy gross-out humour,or resort to simply shouting nonsense into the abyss,mistaking noise for jokes. They become repetitive and embarrassing self-parodies. Think Adam Sandler’s past decade or so.