But Gosling is never grating or annoying. His shtick never gets old. He doesn’t even have a shtick. His résumé is versatile and fascinating; he’s as capable of subtle nuance as he is broad physicality.

In Crazy, Stupid, Love he is a cocky playboy trying to help Steve Carell’s sad dad. Gosling’s character, Jacob, is shallow and arrogant, the villain in any other rom-com. But Gosling imbues Jacob with a heart of gold buried in his cynical, perfectly sculpted chest. When Carell pulls out a Velcro wallet, Gosling’s face is a mix of disdain, pity and determination. A thousand words with one look.

The Big Short again united Gosling with Carell, this time as a fast-talking finance bro opposite Carell’s righteous ball of fury. Unapologetically appalling, Gosling pulls off the movie’s most audacious lines – he justifies the numbers in a presentation by announcing that his math specialist “won a math competition in China [and] doesn’t even speak English!”

Perhaps his outright funniest effort is in The Nice Guys, a darkly comic murder-mystery. Opposite Russell Crowe, Gosling goes full screwball, giving a masterclass in physical comedy as a goofy and chaotic detective out of his depth.

And then, of course, there’s Barbie. The internet booed when Gosling secured the role, but his doubters were silenced by one of the most iconic comedic performances of the decade. Ken is the culmination of Gosling’s comedic career. He ricochets perfectly from air-headed goofball to insecure cool guy, to needy boyfriend, to cocky man-about-town, to precarious dictator, and back again.

Loading

Barbie allows a direct comparison between Gosling and one of this century’s most celebrated comic actors: Will Ferrell. Gosling brings it all – every facial expression will have you in stitches, every line reading is uniquely perfect, every dance move is exaggerated flawlessly. Ferrell just shouts a lot, often stomping on his own punchlines.

Ryan Gosling probably won’t win the Oscar for best supporting actor – that will go to Robert Downey Jr for Oppenheimer – but he should. Simply being nominated just wouldn’t be Kenough.

The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from books editor Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday.