Ryan Gosling is one of Hollywood’s most likable movie stars. His Canadian charm paired with his handsome looks makes for a winning formula. Gosling’s versatility is his greatest asset. The three-time Oscar nominee can play someone who steals your heart in The Notebook, just as he can easily beat you to a pulp in Drive. I’m glad to see the struggling cornerback in Remember the Titans got back on his feet.
Gosling’s next adventure, Project Hail Mary, requires him to go to space to save the world. Even if you haven’t seen The Martian, Project Hail Mary should be fun for all the Gosling fans. In honor of Project Hail Mary, there are several Gosling movies that are streaming for free on services like Pluto TV. This weekend, our top selection is a dark comedy about the financial crisis with a laugh-out-loud performance from Gosling. Our other two picks are emotional stories that show off the actor’s dramatic range.
3
Blue Valentine
Love hurts
Sometimes, movies are hard to watch because of how they make you feel. Violence is always the leading reason, along with graphic language and disturbing subject matter. There is some violence in Blue Valentine, but the emotional punches throughout the film are why it makes you look away.
Gosling and Michelle Williams star as Dean and Cindy, who eventually fall in love and marry. The movie jumps back and forth between two timelines: the past, which shows their courtship and the origins of their love, and the present, which examines the dissolution of their marriage. Derek Cianfrance, who loves exploring flawed men with their emotional trauma, does not sugarcoat the ups and downs of marriage.
Is Blue Valentine a date-night movie? Probably not, especially if your relationship is on the rocks. However, Blue Valentine is worth watching because of its strong performances from Gosling and Williams. There’s beauty in defeat, and Blue Valentine is not afraid to tackle real issues faced by many couples. Paul Mescal said it best: “Blue Valentine is a movie that consistently ruins your day in the best sense of the word.”
Blue Valentine is now streaming for free on Pluto TV.
Blue Valentine
Release Date
December 29, 2010
Runtime
112 Minutes
Director
Derek Cianfrance
2
Half Nelson
From heartthrob to Oscar nominee
In 2004, Gosling vaulted into heartthrob status with the success of The Notebook. The Nicholas Sparks romantic drama is still considered one of Gosling’s most memorable roles. Imagine having all of that juice as an ascending actor, and instead of parlaying that success into the lead of a blockbuster franchise, you star in a critically acclaimed independent pic that resulted in your Best Actor Oscar nomination at age 26. Honestly, I respect Gosling because not many actors would choose that route.
The movie I’m referring to is 2006’s Half Nelson, a quiet drama directed by Ryan Fleck from a screenplay he co-wrote with Anna Boden. Dan Dunne (Gosling) is a Brooklyn middle school teacher whose unconventional methods win over his students. However, Dan holds a dark secret—he is a drug addict. Dan does his best to hide his addiction, but one student, Drey (Shareeka Epps), catches him in the act. The two eventually form an unlikely friendship, as Dan slowly opens up about his addiction, while Drey explains her family’s checkered history with drugs.
Half Nelson is not a movie about defying the odds to achieve success. Instead, Fleck and Boden are more interested in the minutiae in the lives of complicated people, who, at least for one day, strive to be better—even if it doesn’t happen. The Notebook changed Gosling’s life, but Half Nelson shaped his career.
Half Nelson is now streaming for free on Pluto TV.
Half Nelson
Release Date
August 11, 2006
Runtime
107 minutes
Director
Ryan Fleck
1
The Big Short
A darkly comedic view of the financial crisis
Show of hands: How many of you can explain subprime mortgages or credit default swaps? Now, how many of you needed Margot Robbie in a bathtub or Selena Gomez at a casino table to explain this complicated financial jargon? I needed the latter, so thanks to Adam McKay for those ideas.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, those scenes are from The Big Short, McKay’s Oscar-winning satirical drama about the events leading up to the 2008 financial crisis. Some of the notable characters are Michael Burry (Christian Bale), who used his hedge fund to short the housing market; Mark Baum (Steve Carell), the leader of a trading firm who despises the banking system; and Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt), a retired trader who offers two young investors help with their credit swaps.
Yet when I revisit The Big Short, I immediately gravitate toward Gosling’s scenes as Jared Vennett, a self-indulgent sales representative who tries to convince Baum to buy the swaps. Vennett’s pitch to Baum and his partners is eight minutes of comedic gold. Astute viewers will notice that Vennett’s “nice shirt” comment is directed towards Vinny Daniel, played by the eldest boy himself, Jeremy Strong.
The Big Short is now streaming for free on Pluto TV.
The Big Short
Release Date
December 23, 2015
Runtime
130minutes
Director
Adam McKay
Other movies to watch this week
If you’re looking for more free movies to watch, try checking out No Country for Old Men on YouTube and Almost Famous on Tubi. If you have Netflix, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man finally arrives on Netflix this weekend. Plus, Oscar-winner One Battle After Another is available to stream on HBO Max.
