Ryan Gosling’s ‘perfect’ movie shows he’s ‘greatest actor’ | Films | Entertainment
The film was not a massive commercial success upon release (Image: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
A film that is hailed by fans as ‘tremendously underrated’ also demonstrates that Ryan Gosling is ‘one of the greatest actors of this generation’.
The Canadian-born star is poised to dominate UK cinemas this weekend with his latest release. He headlines the cast in the eagerly awaited sci-fi epic, Project Hail Mary.
This is an adaptation of the novel penned by Andy Weir, who also wrote The Martian, which was subsequently transformed into a film starring Matt Damon and directed by Ridley Scott.
Project Hail Mary is already receiving glowing reviews, particularly for Gosling’s performance.
Currently boasting a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, one critic described it as a ‘miraculous achievement’, whilst another asserted the film is “worth watching for Gosling’s turn alone, which is even more impressive when you consider that for long stretches, it is essentially a one-man show.”
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Another viewer concurred, going so far as to suggest that it is “Gosling’s best leading role since his last space movie, 2018’s First Man.”
Gosling’s career truly skyrocketed when he starred in a different film based on a popular book. That was the romantic drama The Notebook, an adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, co-starring Rachel McAdams. He also followed this up with indie hit Half Nelson, reports the Mirror.
After a brief hiatus, Gosling experienced his most productive period on screen, featuring in 10 films released between 2010 and 2011. This included Drive and The Place Beyond The Pines which quickly cemented the star as a leading man for any genre.
However, a lesser-seen performance in a lower-budget film still has some fans hailing it as one of his best performances. That is the hidden gem of Lars and the Real Girl, released back in 2007.
Gosling portrays the extremely shy Lars who struggles to make friends or socialise. His brother and sister-in-law are concerned about him, so when he announces that he has a girlfriend he met online, they are thrilled.
But Lars reveals that his new lady love is a life-size plastic woman. On the advice of a doctor, his family and the rest of the community play along with his delusion.
Fans think the film shows off one of Gosling’s best ever performances (Image: MGM)
The film struggled to break even at the box office, earning just over $11 million against a $12.5 million budget, suggesting that not enough people were aware of the title at the time of its release. They missed out, as in the years since, fans consider it one of Gosling’s most underrated and under-watched outings.
It did receive plenty of praise from critics though, contributing to its more than respectable 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. One reviewer said: “This charmer of a film is one that you will never forget. It’s funny, overtly moving and uplifting. I want to see it again.”
Another wrote: “A perfect movie in all ways: it’s far more inventive and adventurous than most movies dare, it’s perfectly realised in all its many small details…”
Numerous fans are in agreement and the majority of them also take care to highlight Gosling’s moving performance which renders the film an unforgettable experience. As one individual posted: “Truly one of the best, most wonderful films in the last 50 years, let alone one of the best indies! This is why Gosling’s one of the best. Man does he ever nail the internally tortured soul whilst still bringing out the beauty in his character, WITHOUT depressing the audience.”
Someone else concurred as they remarked: “A kind and lovely film. Ryan Gosling is truly one of the greatest actors of this generation!”
Meanwhile one fan responded: “This is all about Lars and the community who support his delusion, for the love of Lars. All of the characters were real, which made Bianca real. Wonderful acting and direction. The choice of ‘odd bod’ Ryan Gosling for the part of Lars was inspirational. This was strange, but so is life. Loved it.”
And one individual confessed: “One of my all-time favourite films. It’s perfection. Don’t touch it. Don’t breathe too hard on it. It’s magic.”
Lars and the Real Girl is streaming on Prime Video.
