Let me start off this post of unbridled joy with a bit of crabbiness. Indulge me, we haven’t slept, it’s been a long night, and that’s before detours down any of several Kate Middleton wormholes.

 

However: 

I saw more than one hot take on the Ryan Gosling “I’m Just Ken” performance that said something to the effect of,  “Gosling’s performance of ‘Ken’ wakes up a sleepy Oscars,” and like – we’re all tired, I’ve undoubtedly written some bananas things in the crazy afterglow of an Oscars telecast, but – last night was great – high energy, good pace, a surprising amount of vulnerability and ad-libbed-ness in both the speeches and the presenters – John Cena, John Mulaney, no sign of any tired “here come the accountants” bits… 

…and then there’s the MVP of the night, Ryan Gosling. 

That’s not a novel take on my part – almost anyone would agree he was on fire last night. But I’m not entirely sure they’d be able to pinpoint why – and this is where I am happy to help. 

 

Ryan Gosling was born to be who he was last night – ultra-cheesy, ultra-committed, and as a result, note-perfect. Please come on a journey of his commitment to being his best self – his original self, complete with visual aids. 

Exhibit A – Gosling Family Values

Ryan Gosling, Mandi Gosling, Donna Gosling, and Valerio Attanasio attend the 96th Annual Academy Awards
Ryan Gosling, Mandi Gosling, Donna Gosling, and Valerio Attanasio attend the 96th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California

Ryan Gosling has brought his sister Mandi and/or his mother to countless carpets, and this time he doubled down and brought the whole family. Who seem, 1) Adorably supportive, and 2) So appropriately into it.

 

Look at Mom’s Barbie tie-in purse!  Look how utterly normal and cute this sibling look is! One of them absolutely just called the other a nerd or a goober. 

Ryan Gosling and Mandi Gosling attend the 96th Annual Academy Awards
Ryan Gosling and Mandi Gosling attend the 96th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California

You can’t possibly know everything from a photo. But I definitely get the impression his family is happy for him, enjoys doing stuff like this – but doesn’t live for it. They’re not hell-bent on keeping him happy so they can keep this red carpet life going. 

 

That’s extra notable because, let’s not forget – Ryan Gosling was a Child Star. A Mouseketeer. Behold: 

Exhibit B – He Was Born For This

All that cheese – the crooning and the gazing into the camera – not only was he good at it, he HAD IT from a very young age. He was chosen out of thousands of kids because you can't keep that showbiz energy down! 

 

Nor would you want to, because only when someone is that talented and joyful about it do you get waves of indignant Millenials making sure you Never Forget Breaker High: 

(If this has awakened something in you, please click here to enjoy a theme song you will absolutely never forget. ) 

He’s cheesy! He’s goofy! He was made for GIFs long before they ever existed! The only reason you don’t already know this is because he had the misfortune to be extremely good-looking, which launched an incredible career in the 2000s, complete with high-profile romances and Big Acting Roles, and the irony is he can do those, too! He’s talented! 

But – the thing that made last night so special? Well, to really understand, you have to take it all in again: 

Watch it again to enjoy it, for sure. But there’s actually studying to be done here: 

Exhibit C – Nothing Is More Serious Than Silliness 

There is so much WORK in this performance, and he doesn’t waver. At 10 seconds, he croons, can obviously tell Margot Robbie is LOSING it – and he only goes deeper. Watch the precision with which he ditches his hat at 0:19. If you want to go back to see what I’m talking about, you can also see Billie Eilish bracing herself at 0:06. 

They’re not laughing at him – they are HELPLESS in the power of his performance. 

At 0:30, he chucks Mark Ronson on the chin with a perfectly-fitted Barbie-pink leather glove. At 0:45, he throws his hand on his head in despair. It’s completely over-the-top and extra, of course – but it’s also ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY BELIEVABLE.

 

This isn’t Ryan Gosling performing this song. This is Ken, come to life again outside the Barbie universe, with the same utter commitment he brought to Ken on Venice Beach. 

Like, it’s all completely ridiculous – the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Aesthetic, the Rock&Roll rasp on “I Wanna Know” – but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t also be perfect. Watch what happens at 1:14 – after putting his mic in the stand, he lowers it to the correct height EXACTLY ON THE BEAT, and picks up his next line. He’s working VERY hard, and doing his VERY best – because that’s what the audience deserves, but even more than that – it’s what Ken deserves. 

I could go on and on. By 2:35, when he’s doing crowd work, he’s completely engaged with his audience but always super aware of where the camera is. He’s obviously rehearsed this intensely, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he produced, or co-produced, this whole number. Sarah even speculated he could win an Emmy for it – performance in a Variety Program, or something. It’s not preposterous. 

In short, Ryan Gosling is awesome in this performance because he lets himself be excellent, even though it’s ‘comedy’. Because he believes it’s essential. Why would you do anything less than you’d do for a ‘serious’ performance? Why not commit all the time? 

Finally, we can tell Ryan Gosling’s beloved by his colleagues – obviously Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, et al are thrilled to be in the performance with him (as is SLASH! Actual befamed and beloved guitarist SLASH!). Gerwig, Ferrara, and Robbie scream like teenyboppers, Emma Stone burst her soon-to-be Oscar-accepting dress because she was so compelled, and Emily Blunt – well, we’ll get to her in a minute.  But if he is beloved, it’s easy to understand why: 

Despite allll the box office evidence and critical acclaim, Academy voters just couldn’t take Barbie seriously. Ryan Gosling makes it work because he took it seriously enough for all of them. He doubled down and believed in Barbie – and Ken! – so hard you’d feel like a fool if you were anything less than totally on board.