Welcome back, carnage lovers. This is Face Off, Joblo’s exclusive series where we pit two worthy foes against each other until one emerges a victor, while the loser bears a mark of shame for eternity. Last week saw the much awaited clash between BATMAN V. SUPERMAN vs. SUICIDE SQUAD. BVS came out the champ and was met with both cheers and sneers. But it earned its trophy, and SQUAD will live forever in a state of emasculation and erectile dysfunction.
Now it’s time for yet another bout, this time featuring a man who is no stranger to this competition—Ryan Gosling. The star of movies like DRIVE,THE NOTEBOOK and HALF NELSON has been put up for combat against the likes of Russell Crowe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jaoquin Phoenix—coming out the victor in the former two. The veteran will step into the ring again, this time against his most worthy challenger yet, and a man who shares his birth name—Ryan Reynolds. This is Reynolds’s first entry into the series and hopes to steal the crown from the reigning Ryan. Both actors have had a banner year, with Reynolds having his biggest hit yet with DEADPOOL, while Gosling has turned in lauded work in praised movie’s THE NICE GUYS and LA LA LAND. The two went head-to-head at the Golden Globes this year, with Gosling coming out on top for LA LA LAND. Reynolds hopes to return the favor here.
Let’s…begin!
CHARISMA/PERSONALITY
Reynolds is no stranger to dramatic work, but the actor has become synonymous for his snarky demeanor and effortless humor. He can walk into the room and overshadow everyone with his charm and hilarity. He has a modern, devil-may-care, every-man likability to him that makes him instantly lovable. His movies always manage to showcase this, and you probably couldn’t pay someone DEADPOOL money to say a bad thing about him.
Gosling has charm to spare, but he’s known more for his steely sense of cool than for being the life of the party. As for his acting work his characters are often quite methodical and suave, and on the red carpet he looks humble and frankly quite reserved. Though we love him for all of it, he’s admittedly not as instantly enamoring as Reynolds.
VERSATILITY
Though his humor always shines through Reynolds has a versatile and deep body of work at his back, spanning all kinds of genres. Action, comedy, drama, animation, romance, horror, cerebral projects—the guy has done it all. His movies haven’t always been hits, but Reynolds has proven time and time again he’s game for anything you throw at him. Except the color green.
Gosling has a knack for picking his roles much more carefully than Reynolds. The actor favors more complex characters and dramas than potential box office hits. Sure, he’s got a romantic comedy or two under his belt, but he’s one of the few actors who hasn’t done a superhero movie (which is quite admirable), or even a horror movie for that matter. Granted you could include STAY for the latter, but that movie isn’t really much of anything.
As I’ve covered, Reynolds has dipped his gorgeous, and I assume smooth, hands into all different kinds of projects, and though he does a lot of great work he’s never gotten a chance to really show the distances he can go. BURIED gave us his best work at a time when he was known only as a Hollywood hunk, bringing out a layered, frantic-yet-controlled, all-around amazing performance from such a difficult scenario. Last year he played the lead in DEADPOOL, giving us the role he was born to play. However, much of what made him perfect for that were the qualities he’s shown in previous movies.
Gosling has made it apparent from the word go he would be committed to roles that would challenge him as an actor. He has given us truly incredible performances in movies like THE BELIEVER, DRIVE, THE IDES OF MARCH, BLUE VALENTINE, LA LA LAND and HALF NELSON, all while taking time out to make us laugh in movies like CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE and THE NICE GUYS. His eyes aren’t just as blue as the ocean, but also as deep.
MOST ICONIC PERFORMANCE
If you were to ask what Ryan Reynolds was famous for before 2016 you’d probably refer to either a not so flattering movie like GREEN LANTERN, or as the guy with sexy abs. However, Reynold’s OWNED 2016 thanks to his performance in DEADPOOL. And this wasn’t just because he led a successful film. No, this movie as a success because of him. Like Robert Downey Jr. in IRON MAN the movie was defined by his performance and as a result the role will keep his name alive for eons. Reynolds had a acting style people knew, and DEADPOOL gives us the best of Reynolds and so much more.
Ryan Gosling has sooooo many great performances under his belt. However, there isn’t one truly iconic role that defines not only him but him in the eyes of audiences. The closest would be The Driver from DRIVE, a role so cool it became the top Halloween costume that year and stood out in a great year (2011) for the actor. Still, though, Gosling will be known for quite some time for his overall body of work than one huge role. That all being said, when Gosling does give us his BIG, career-defining performance we’ll know, because it will surely get him all the gold.
DREAMINESS
What I can imagine a husky would look like if he was turned human by a horny witch, Reynolds seems to never age (he’s [email protected] 40!) and just gets more youthful with time. He’s as angular as the perfect octagon, and I’m sure he’s been studied by a team of mathematicians and scientists, and has since been labeled as scientifically, perfectly handsome.
Handsome in many of the ways Reynolds is, Gosling replaces Reynolds’s every-man likability with the mysterious look of a lovelorn traveler. He looks like the kind of man who would roll into town, take you out on a picnic, read you some poetry, and then beat a bully in a driving match to reclaim your honor. You may think he’s just a rebel with a toothpick, but you don’t know him like I do! He’s divine!
1 Oscar nomination (could be two one week from now)
4 SAG nominations
1 BAFTA nomination
Ryan Reynolds
Both of these actors are remarkable talents who have earned everything they’ve been given, and have their own unique traits that make them great. Reynolds is the often hilarious leading man a girl could bring home to see the folks…and then go do shrooms with in the attic. Gosling on the other hand, is the actors-actor of the two, able to balance the occasional comedic role with searing dramatic work, never losing his stoic, confident cool. However, Reynolds pulls out the win because he has simply made the most out of his time in Hollywood, and for all his ups (BURIED, DEADPOOL) has lots of downs (GREEN LANTERN, R.I.P.D., THE CHANGE-UP), and yet come out of it unscathed with an unwavering sense of charm, solidifying himself as one of the world’s most adored stars. Gosling even expressed his shock when he won his Globe over Reynolds this year, proving that even in defeat Reynolds comes out on top.
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