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Ryan Gosling has officially won over the critics with his portrayal of the iconic Ken doll in the Greta Gerwig-directed movie, Barbie.
The Gray Man star, 42, stars opposite Margot Robbie’s titular character in the movie slated to release in cinemas on Friday, July 21, 2023.
Ken doll, which comes as an accessory to Barbie that has been around for almost 60 years, is her male companion, a theme wittily addressed in the movie.
Before praises for Gosling started pouring in, the La La Land actor’s age was criticised by different generations of Barbie fans on social media.
However, Gosling proved that he had the perfect Ken-ergy and Ken-nection for the part.
Julia Jacobs of New York Times was of a similar opinion as she noted that critics are “unified in their praise of the movie’s stars” with Robbie offering “surprising emotional depth” to her Barbie and Gosling ‘delighting’ audiences with his “deadpan comedy.”
Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter lauded the actor’s “impressive heart and humour.”
According to People Magazine, Gosling steals the movie even though Robbie is the star. “Ryan Gosling is flawlessly funny as the plastic male who exists only as a sort of chaste, chisel-chested consort to Barbie,” Tom Gliatto reviewed for the outlet.
Meanwhile, Peter Bradshaw wrote for The Guardian that Gosling is “allowed to steal the whole film playing Barbie’s non-genitaled boyfriend, Ken.”
He credited director and co-writer Greta Gerwig’s “confidence and generosity as a feminist film-maker” to give “all the best lines” to Gosling.
Finally, Ross Bonaime wrote in the Collider that The Notebook alum “fantastic” a character that could’ve been abrasive but he “manages to make this character goofy and understandable.”
He surmised that Gosling “to go broad in a way that we’ve never seen him go before, and the result is charming, bizarre, and one of the most hysterical performances of the year.”