hes better than me make no doubt, but that's not the point.
all this hype surrounding ryan gosling is all up to his looks rather than his acting and screen presence. he was very blande in gangster squad. he looks cool but that's it.
Gosling may or may not have a limited range, but the films I have seen him in show me that he is a competent actor. I thought is performance in "GS" was good. It was the script that got dopey. And the "GS" character was very different from the guy in "OGF", although the "OGF" character was quite like the character in "Drive".
The Believer, The Slaughter Rule, Fracture, Lars and the Real Girl, Half Nelson, Blue Valentine. These are all films that, in my opinion, show Gosling as an actor with versatility and range.
What about Place Beyond the Pines?! I thought it was an amazing, and line-filled (yes he spoke continuously and even yelled a few times) performance. I've loved this kid since I first saw him in Murder by Numbers.
Don't forget he was home-schooled. It has been proven time and time again that this directly affects your social skills and social development. I met him in Hollywood once and did not get the "regular person" impression I got from other celebrities. I've come to really like Gosling.
I'd like to see you do a better job acting than Gosling!
haha just kidding. I agree that his looks and 'cool' persona kinda outshadows his actual talent. That's the main reason why he's so popular (or was). I think he's capable of great acting. I used to be a big fan. But sometimes he seems to be more concerned about looking hot rather than giving a solid performance. I can't see how anyone would think he was great here. I think this is the role that convinced him to re-evaluate his life which is why he temporarily quit acting.
It sounds like you haven't seen enough of his work. Check out "The Believer" or "Slaughter Rule" or "Blue Valentine" before you make a comment like that. Gosling is a fine actor with some real range. He can certainly act circles around other pretty guys like Channing Tatum or even Brad Pitt.
"IMdB; where 14 year olds can act like jaded 40 year old critics...'
As others have said you really need to watch Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines, and even Crazy, Stupid, Love he showed a bit of range by being this cocky womanizer who had it together to becoming more vulnerable as the film went on. Not only that, but he showed comedic timing in the way he delivered his lines. Don't limit him to Gangster Squad, This, and Drive as they are far from his best performances.