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Not every child actor grows up to be a multiple Oscar nominee, but then, not every child actor is Ryan Gosling. After a stint singing and dancing alongside Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears on The Mickey Mouse Club, Gosling flashed early signs of his potential in movies like Remember the Titans and The Believer, then melted hearts everywhere as Noah Calhoun in The Notebook. Just two years later, he’d garner his first Best Actor nod for Half Nelson, as he starred in a string of acclaimed independent films like Lars and the Real Girl and Blue Valentine. Even as he’s risen to the A-list, he continues to star in a wide variety of projects, from cult favorites like Drive and The Nice Guys to high-profile spectacles like Blade Runner 2049 and La La Land, which earned him his second Oscar nomination. Last summer, he blew us away with his instantly iconic Ken in Barbie. And now, he's stepping into a stuntman's shoes with The Fall Guy. With all of that in mind, we’ve rounded up all Ryan Gosling movies and sorted them by Tomatometer. Have a look below for the top 10.
11. The Believer (2001)
Tomatometer: 83%
Audience Score: 82%
Synopsis: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing -- an adage proven with shocking ramifications in Henry Bean's "The Believer." The film's stringent, intellectual approach to the topics of anti-Semitism and neo-fascism will move and astound viewers, a testament to this first-time director's important undertaking.
Critics Consensus: Gosling commands the screen with a raw, electrifying performance.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix, Glenn Fitzgerald, Theresa Russell
Directed By: Henry Bean
10. The Ides of March (2011)
Tomatometer: 83%
Audience Score: 73%
Synopsis: As Ohio's Democratic primary nears, charming Gov. Mike Morris (George Clooney) seems a shoo-in for the nomination over his opponent, Sen. Pullman (Michael Mantell). Morris' idealistic press secretary, Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling), believes in his candidate's integrity and the democratic process. But Meyers' meeting with Pullman's campaign manager (Paul Giamatti) and a dalliance with a young intern (Evan Rachel Wood) set in motion events that threaten Morris' election chances.
Critics Consensus: While not exactly exposing revelatory truths, The Ides of March is a supremely well-acted drama that moves at a measured, confident clip.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti
Directed By: George Clooney
9. Blue Valentine (2010)
Tomatometer: 86%
Audience Score: 77%
Synopsis: Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) live a quiet life in a modest neighborhood. To the casual observer, everything appears normal, if a bit subdued. But a closer examination reveals a couple caught in a downward spiral. They appear to have the world at their feet at the outset of the relationship. However, his lack of ambition and her retreat into self-absorption cause potentially irreversible cracks in their marriage.
Critics Consensus: This emotionally gripping examination of a marriage on the rocks isn't always easy to watch, but Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling give performances of unusual depth and power.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Faith Wladyka, John Doman
Directed By: Derek Cianfrance
8. First Man (2018)
Tomatometer: 87%
Audience Score: 68%
Synopsis: Hoping to reach the moon by the end of the decade, NASA plans a series of extremely dangerous, unprecedented missions in the early 1960s. Engineer Neil Armstrong joins the space program, spending years in training and risking his life during test flights. On July 16, 1969, the nation and world watch in wonder as Armstrong and fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins embark on the historic Apollo 11 spaceflight.
Critics Consensus: First Man uses a personal focus to fuel a look back at a pivotal moment in human history - and takes audiences on a soaring dramatic journey along the way.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler
Directed By: Damien Chazelle
7. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Tomatometer: 88%
Audience Score: 88%
Synopsis: Officer K (Ryan Gosling), a new blade runner for the Los Angeles Police Department, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. His discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former blade runner who's been missing for 30 years.
Critics Consensus: Visually stunning and narratively satisfying, Blade Runner 2049 deepens and expands its predecessor's story while standing as an impressive filmmaking achievement in its own right.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks
Directed By: Denis Villeneuve
6. Barbie (2023)
Tomatometer: 88%
Audience Score: 83%
Synopsis: To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken.
Critics Consensus: Barbie is a visually dazzling comedy whose meta humor is smartly complemented by subversive storytelling.
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera
Directed By: Greta Gerwig
5. The Big Short (2015)
Tomatometer Score: 89%
Audience Score: 88%
Synopsis: In 2008, Wall Street guru Michael Burry realizes that a number of subprime home loans are in danger of defaulting. Burry bets against the housing market by throwing more than $1 billion of his investors' money into credit default swaps. His actions attract the attention of banker Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), hedge-fund specialist Mark Baum (Steve Carell) and other greedy opportunists. Together, these men make a fortune by taking full advantage of the impending economic collapse in America.
Critics Consensus: The Big Short approaches a serious, complicated subject with an impressive attention to detail -- and manages to deliver a well-acted, scathingly funny indictment of its real-life villains in the bargain.
Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Brad Pitt
Directed By: Adam McKay
4. Half Nelson (2006)
Tomatometer: 91%
Audience Score: 82%
Synopsis: Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) is a history teacher at a Brooklyn school. Though well-liked by his students and colleagues, he secretly spends his evenings hopping bars and getting high. A female student named Drey (Shareeka Epps) catches him in a drug-induced haze after a basketball game, and the two strike up an unlikely friendship. As Dan struggles with his addiction, he tries to act as a mentor to the girl, whose brother is serving time for dealing drugs.
Critics Consensus: Half Nelson features powerful performances from Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps. It's a wise, unsentimental portrait of lonely people at the crossroads.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie, Deborah Rush
Directed By: Ryan Fleck
3. The Nice Guys (2016)
Tomatometer: 91%
Audience Score: 79%
Synopsis: Holland March (Ryan Gosling) is a down-on-his-luck private eye in 1977 Los Angeles. Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) is a hired enforcer who hurts people for a living. Fate turns them into unlikely partners after a young woman named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) mysteriously disappears. Healy and March soon learn the hard way that some dangerous people are also looking for Amelia. Their investigation takes them to dark places as anyone else who gets involved in the case seems to wind up dead.
Critics Consensus: The Nice Guys hearkens back to the buddy comedies of a bygone era while adding something extra courtesy of a knowing script and the irresistible chemistry of its leads.
Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer
Directed By: Shane Black
2. La La Land (2016)
Tomatometer: 91%
Audience Score: 81%
Synopsis: Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) are drawn together by their common desire to do what they love. But as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.
Critics Consensus: La La Land breathes new life into a bygone genre with thrillingly assured direction, powerful performances and an irresistible excess of heart.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt
Directed By: Damien Chazelle
1. Drive (2011)
Tomatometer: 93%
Audience Score: 79%
Synopsis: Driver is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he's been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene and her young son, Benicio. When Irene's husband gets out of jail, he enlists Driver's help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.
Critics Consensus: With its hyper-stylized blend of violence, music, and striking imagery, Drive represents a fully realized vision of arthouse action
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks
Directed By: Nicolas Winding Refn
