On Being a Big Fan of Ryan Gosling...

I'm a big fan of Ryan Gosling. In my eyes he's one of the most talented, committed, and convincing actors in film today, which makes him a joy to watch in practically any role he decides to take on. He's shied away from the Hollywood machine for the majority of his career, opting instead for indie and arthouse films like Half Nelson (I watched this one last night), Lars and the Real Girl, and Blue Valentine.

He'll be back on the Hollywood circuit next week with the debut of Crazy, Stupid, Love, which he stars in alongside the very funny Steve Carell, the very talented Emma Stone, the always reliable Julianne Moore (check her out in The Kids are All Right alongside Mark Ruffalo), and, of course, Kevin Bacon.

Here's the trailer:

Currently, Crazy, Stupid, Love is sitting at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, but that's consisting of only six reviews so far. Nonetheless, when vying for a "Certified Fresh" label on RT, it's always better to start out high than low. Mary F. Pols of Time, though, wrote: "The movie's biggest surprise is the revelation of Gosling as cunning comedian."

But, if you've seen any of Goslings interviews on late-night talk shows, the fact that he can pull off the funny guy role isn't so much a revelation as it is an expectation. For example, check out his interview with Jimmy Kimmel back when he was promoting Blue Valentine:

And then there's this gem:

And here's him on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon earlier this week (scroll to the 18:20 mark...The Turkish bath story is particularly amusing):

Of course, Ryan will be back on the arthouse circuit on September 16, with the release of the grim, noir-like actioner, Drive, which pits Gosling as a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a wheelman. It's certainly a different type of role for Gosling, but after watching the red band trailer that debuted at Comic-Con yesterday, his usual commitment to the role makes him look like a natural.

Here's that trailer:

And here's another clip:

I'm very, very, very excited for this movie. It's currently sitting at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes after 10 reviews, and while it might not be a mainstream hit (not many of Gosling's films are), it looks like it'll continue to cement Gosling's reputation as one of the finest actors in the game today. And, if he proves he can pull off such a violent role involving cars, guns, stray bullets, and hammers, perhaps more action flicks will come his way in the future (he's already set for a remake of Logan's Run, which will land in theaters in 2012). Can you see Gosling as an action star? I don't think he'd ever commit to one genre like that, but it'd still be cool to see him mix in a few of those types of flicks from time to time.

In the meantime, I'll continue to eagerly await the release of Crazy, Stupid, Love, which arrives in theaters next Friday.