Last Updated on August 5, 2021
Welcome to The Face-Off, the ultimate showdown for movies. Every week, the Face-Off takes two movies and compares the hard facts and details for each. We’ll decide which film we think was stronger for each section that we break down, but ultimately the decision on which movie wins the overall battle is up to you. After you’ve read through what you need to know, let us know which movie YOU think is the champion and why!
This week we focus on two young versatile actors who dedicated years to their craft and have spent the last few years enjoying that hard work and dedication paying off. I am talking about Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ryan Gosling. There is little if anything bad to say about these two studs, their love for what they do and dedication to it is evident and it’s infectious. Both show no signs of slowing down, and on any other day I wouldn’t be able to choose between them. But today is not that day. We will be discussing the sexiness of these cat, the aforementioned talent they have the back those looks up, and the accolades they’ve received as a result of that. Let’s get to it.
Childhood
JGL was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish family. He began acting at an early age starting at age 4 when he played the Scarecrow in a play rendition of the Wizard of Oz. He went on to star in commercials for brands like Cocoa-Puffs, Pop-Tarts, and shoe sh*t. The man started before he knew what currency was and never put us through news stories of how coked out he became due to not being able to handle the fame. Props for that, no?
Ryan Gosling was born in London, Ontario to good working class folk. His parents divorced when he was still a child and he and his sister remained with their mother, this put him into the mindset of “thinking like a girl.” No wonder he is such a pimp. Gosling was picked on in school until he was about 16. In first grade, he took a stand under the influence of Rambo: First Blood by bringing steak knives to school and throwing them at the pukes who were f*cking with him. This led to a suspension and a stamp of bad ass for the rest of his life. Oh, and he had a stint in the Mickey Mouse Club. Extra points.
Sex Appeal
JGL you’re no slouch buddy. You photogenic bastard you. You have chosen some awesome roles to tackle, you’ve been pushed around by Zooey Deschanel, and you got to mack down on Ellen Page with slicked back hair. The evidence of your studliness will be addressed in one of the categories below. And I’m a man that can appreciate a good smile from any gender, and dude.
There is something about that Notebook movie that has etched him into the minds of females (and some males no doubt) everywhere. Gosling just seems like an every man trapped in all kinds of glorious I’ll admit. He has portrayed one of the most realistic romantic leads I’ve ever seen and recently gave us a bad ass role to be remembered in Drive, that movie was where MY man crush came in.
Filmography
Angels in the Outfield, 10 Things I Hate About You, Treasure Planet, Brick, The Lookout, Miracle at St. Anna, 500 Days of Summer, Hesher, Inception, 50/50. Impressive, most impressive.
Remember the Titans, Murder By Numbers, The Notebook, Half Nelson, All Good Things, Blue Valentine, Crazy Stupid Love, Drive, Ides of March among others. A few of these I haven’t seen. And I love me some Treasure Planet, Brick, and 500 Days of Summer. JGL joins the race.
Awards
JGL has won 6 awards throughout his career. Notable wins for 3rd Rock from the Sun, Inception, and 50/50. Don’t worry man Gosling won this on a technicality, the world loves that Notebook movie
Our man Gosling has 16 wins under his belt, the majority of which are for…well, do you really need me to tell you?
Arm Candy
Julia Stiles, Larisa Oleynik, Evan Rachel Wood, Devon Aoki, Megan Good, and a rumored make out session with Scarlett Johansson. I repeat…Scarlett Johansson. If I wasn’t such an admirer of your talent I’d hate you sir.
Sandra Bullock, Rachel McAdams, Kat Dennings, Casey LaBow, Blake Lively, Olivia Wilde, and currently Eva Mendes. Bravo good sir, bravo.
Upcoming Projects
The Dark Knight Rises, Looper, Lincoln, and Django Unchained. Nuff said.
The Gangster Squad and Place Beyond the Pines is what awaits us for the Ryan Gosling camp. Can’t lie I’m pumped to see both of these.
Acting Ability
This is what this face/off should be all about, yes? JGL has never been afraid to take on the meatier roles in movies he probably knows will be lesser known than some. He has made even the films I’ve seen that I am not very fond of better just by gracing it with his presence (Stop-Loss). You can tell he has faith in the scripts he chooses and his taste is I have to say akin to what I would look for if I chose his career. His enthusiasm for his projects is evident any performance I’ve ever seen him in. His talent can’t be denied.
Ryan Gosling is much like JGL in his passion for doing what he does. He is also a lot like Levitt in his script choices, he has portrayed so many deep characters. Many that I can relate to in a way. His recent turn in the film Blue Valentine choked this jackass up and to take a complete 360 and portray “The Driver” convincingly to the point of don’t f*ck with this guy…this is a little thing we call range and versatility. And well…not all have it.
Ryan Gosling
Even though I chose Ryan Gosling to win this Face/Off is needless to say no reflection on the talent that Joseph Gordon-Levitt possesses in spades. A lot of the above categories were just statistics when it came down to it but hey, somebody had to win. Both are deserving of the fame and the admiration they’ve garnered from the public and the critics. I look forward to more from both of them and know they’ll keep giving us the goods. But with that said for the sake of this article..GO GOSLING, GO GOSLING, GO!!!
POST YOUR CHOICE BELOW…!!
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