Hey, babygirl
It's a universal truth that Ryan Gosling is the ultimate man crush for women and guys alike. But it goes far beyond mere sexiness - he and the characters he plays possess an innate, heart-meltingly adorable attractiveness that's guaranteed to make even the most emotionally morbid of souls go all squishy.
Case in point, The Place Beyond the Pines , which sees Gosling play a bad boy carnie with a heart of gold. The moment he realises he has a son he never knew about with one night stand Romina (Eva Mendes), he quits the travelling circus and sets up camp to provide the only way he knows how.
Gosling + baby = the sound of a thousand ovaries exploding.
Teatowel Attack
In the junket interview for Gangster Squad , poor old Gossers looks pretty knackered. Which could describe his deliriously gigglesome response when confronted with a teatowel made up of his own face. Three versions of his face to be exact.
From the initial embarrassment to his mirthful, wheezy giggle and reaction ("It's like looking at the sun"), it's a masterclass in bashfulness.
The Morning After
Much hullaballoo has been made over Gosling's infamous shirtless scene (sample Emma Stone quote: "It's like you're photoshopped").
But it's his reaction to spending the night with the woman he likes that melted hearts, as his relationship-averse lothario Jacob finally starts to soften in the face of getting with someone he's actually found a connection with.
Hey, girl
It's not really Ryan Gosling's fault that the internet has taken* to him as fervently as it has.
So it's a sign of insanely good grace and non-weirdness that he can react to entire websites and Tumblrs set up to exploit the messianic pedestal he's been placed upon.
The first and most popular of all Gosling memes was Hey, Girl (it's hard to explain, but basically it involves photoshopping ridiculously adoring quotes on top of Gos-photos for comedic effect).
Just watch his reaction to some of them below, and then imagine what you'd do if someone gave you hundreds of paparazzi photos of you with crazy stalker-scribbled messages on them.
*stalked
Lift Romance
Drive is a spectacular film, not least for a romance sold almost completely on inaction.
Longing glances, missed moments and heartbreaking looks sell us on the idea of a romance between Driver and his neighbour Irene.
Which makes the pay-off so brilliant, with Driver appreciating the near-death potential of their lift trip together (alongside a hitman) by living for the moment - and taking Irene in a swoon-worthy kiss of heart-stopping proportions.
If only he didn't mar the whole thing by brutally kicking in the face of their attacker mere seconds later.
Drive-a-long
When neighbour Irene and her son Benicio enter The Driver's life, he goes almost instantly into 'protective' mode.
The more he discovers about the dodgy dealings and mob-violence lurking beneath the surface of their lives, the more he's attracted to helping them.
Shortly before everything starts to fall apart, he uses an opportune moment to take them both on a detour intended to make them forget all their worries.
Cue a glimpse at the protective, loving life just out of their reach.
Child Starriness
Gosling may be a proven star on the big screen, but he started out small.
Physically if not metaphorically.
Yip, he was part of the infamous Mickey Mouse Club (the same one that spawned Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears) in an all-singing, all-dancing smorgasbord guaranteed to bring out the maternal side in even the grumpiest of folk.
Check out this performance of Jodeci's 'Cry For You' - starring Gosling alongside none other than Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez.
George Gosling
It's a proven fact that hunky men + babies or animals (preferably of the puppy/flopsy eared rabbit variety) = guaranteed DAWability.
Which is why his very public affection for his best friend George is so sickeningly sweet. Don't believe us?
Just watch the clip below, in which he explains why George is rocking a mohawk.
One Man Vigilante
It's one thing talking the big talk, and it's a whole other thing putting yourself in harm's way to defend the innocent.
That's right - Ryan Gosling is basically Batman.
He infamously went from 'incognito passer-by' to 'heroic saviour' when he walked into the middle of two people squabbling in the street in an attempt to break the fight.
We can't embed, but you can watch the increasingly hysterical cameraphone footage here .
Gangsta Lovin'
Gangster Squad 's Wooters (Gosling) and Faraday (Stone) really shouldn't be hooking up.
For one thing, she's dating the mob boss Wooters is trying to bring down.
But really, when they get to roll around in the sheets like this, with Wooters being all protective and alpha-maley, would YOU say no?
Gangster Squad is available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray from May 27 2013.
"Don't Go"
It's the line a million women (and quite a few men) wish they'd hear in person - Ryan Gosling stood at the door, pleading with you not to leave.
As his vigilante cop Wooters gets closer to Emma Stone's moll Faraday, the pair begin a dangerous relationship.
Faraday's the chief ladyfriend of mob boss Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), and let's just say he isn't the friendliest of chaps.
Wooters quietly impassioned plea to Faraday is the definition of heartbreaking.
Super-Gosling
You know that Batman analogy we made earlier?
We probably should've made that Superman.
Gosling once saved a British journalist from becoming a tarmac patty after pulling her out of harm's way as she went to cross the road in New York.
You can read the journo's delirious tweets as per below.
Ukelele Love Story
Before Blue Valentin e it's likely you would've associated the ukelele with thigh-slapping geriatrics and plinky-plonky hipsters.
But Gosling's managed to reclaim the ukelele's true romantic potential in his character Dean's woosome serenading of his future bride-to-be, Cindy (Michelle Williams).
He describes his singing as 'goofy' but Cindy's slow dancing and surprised adulation suggest otherwise.
Polymathamazing
Every actor and his dog has a little musical habit 'on the side'.
But few are actually any good.
Enter stage left, obviously, Mr Gosling, whose folk rock band Dead Man's Bones are genuinely pretty darn great.
And to make the whole thing just that little bit more heart-warming, here he is bantering with and playing one of their songs alongside a choir of schoolchildren.
"It's Not Over"
Statistically, we're fairly sure The Notebook can be blamed for breaking up as many couples as it brings together, such is Gosling's character Noah's insanely idealistic romanticism.
Thanks to a serious of calamitous misunderstandings, Allie and Noah break up. Only for Noah to woo her back by restoring a delapidated house close to their hearts.
As the pair rekindle their friendship, they become stuck in a storm, prompting a raw emotional confession and leading to the endlessly quotable line below.
Cue soaking wet smoochiness aplenty.
Drunk Christmas Merriment
Gosling proved his sense of humour by starring in probably the most original ode to Christmas tidings you've ever seen.
Funny or Die's brilliant 'Drunk Christmas' involves Gosling, Eva Mendes and Jim Carrey starring in a mimed retelling of a classic Christmas tale.
Told by a very, very drunk man.
Gosling's wide-eyed delight at seeing Santa for the first time is a joy to behold.
Bonus points for the Victorian bed hat.
Drunk History Christmas with Ryan Gosling, Jim Carrey and Eva Mendes
Operation: Teddy
While the key romance at the heart of Lars and the Real Girl is obviously that of Lars and his love doll Bianca (calling her a sex doll just felt too disrespectful), it's his fledgling relationship with co-worker Margo that hints at Lars recovery.
The moment when he sweet-naturedly offers to 'resuscitate' her favourite teddy bear (which has just been hung up by a noose by another co-worker), shows the huge heart hiding beneath the shy exterior.
Checking Up
Not that we're ones to judge, but starting a relationship with an inanimate sex toy is obviously a bit bonkers.
But it's the way in which shy, retiring, repressed Lars looks after her that takes things from creepy to oddly sweet.
Yes, sitting next to a plastic woman in the doctor's office is weird. But at least she has someone looking out for her.
Lonely Lars
Gosling's got pretty good at portraying loners, but it's an entirely different skill to portray someone so utterly, heartbreakingly lonely.
Lars is a man who's pushed himself away from everyone and everything thanks to an emotionally crippling family life.
Look at him. Don't you just want to hug him?
Minus-First Base
If you've got to the point where you need to seduce a sex doll to get your kicks, things are probably in quite a sad state of affairs.
Which is why Lars' gallantry is all the more unexpected.
Do you know of many men who could be left alone in a bedroom with one and just spend hours reading to it?
Caught In The Act
In case you ever missed Mr Mackey's war on drugs , it's a universal fact that drugs are bad, mkay?
Yet when Dan's finally caught in the act in Half Nelson , the wild look of desperation in his eyes is less drug-taking bad boy and more child-like embarrassment, and one that makes you want to drop everything just to help him get clean.
Out of Hours Teaching
The moment in Half Nelson where Dan goes out to one of his student's dodgy, dangerous neighbourhood to scope out the appropriateness of her home life proves that even if he can't fix his own life, beneath all the drug-taking and self-destructive tendencies lies a man intent on righting wrongs.
Young Hercules
Gosling's childhood fame strikes again. Rewind to 1998, and a young up-and-coming Gosling must've thought he'd bagged a role of a lifetime.
Not only was he nabbing the title role in a spin-off of the then hugely popular TV action fantasy Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but the whole thing was executively produced by Sam Raimi.
The end result was a flop, but look at his adorable 90s curtains. DAW.
He's a Manly Man
Annoyingly for men everywhere who are forced to put up with their other halves' continual Gosling fawning, it also turns out he's a dab hand around the house.
For The Notebook , he took an apprenticeship with a cabinetmaker and built a kitchen table that was used on set, while for Drive he actually restored the car he drives in the movie all on his own.
He's Trying to Save the World
Not only is he a friend of PETA, but he actively wrote to the National Milk Producers Federation in a bid to stop their cruel, cow-maiming practice of 'dehorning'.
He's also involved with the Enough Project, which is based around ending genocide and crimes against humanity.
(Ridiculous/amazing picture courtesy of Buzzfeed )
Dog Dancing
Did we mention he really, really loves dogs?
In one particularly memorable scene from The Place Beyond The Pines , we get to see tough guy Luke merrily dance around with a tiny bewildered pooch.
In the absence of that image being available, why not bathe in another photo of George and Ryan BFF-ing.
