There is no gender or role that resists Ryan Gosling. The actor of the moment is capable of moving us with an impossible tan and peroxide blonde hair playing Ken in Barbie, but before we fell in love dancing through the streets of Los Angeles in La La Land (2016), as a taciturn driver in Drive (2011) or building houses in Noa’s diary (2004).
The Canadian has done everything and done everything well, although he seems to have resisted the dominant genre in recent decades: superhero cinema. While it is true that he has not participated in the fierce battle between Marvel and DC on screen, the actor did participate on his day in a bet of capes and tights.
If you are a die-hard Gosling fan and you don’t know what we’re talking about, don’t beat yourself up. The production in question is The Unbelievables (1999), a 23-minute short film released on television, as stated Collider. Of course, its cast is not wasted: in addition to the Canadian, it has in its credits Tim Curry and himself Steve Carell, with whom Gosling would work again years later in Crazy Stupid Love (2011).
‘The Unbelievables’ and Ryan Gosling’s superhero
This short of Ed Solomon (screenwriter of Bill’s amazing journey and Ted or Men in Black) premiered in 1999 and followed the ‘Unbelievables’, a group of retired working-class superheroes. Collider describes them like this: “As if the Avengers and the Justice League quit their day jobs, moved to the suburbs, had kids, and met up every month to play poker.”
Gosling, who was 18 at the time, plays Josh, the teenage son of Action Armstrong (Corbin Bernsen), the group’s leader. His character has powers that he wastes on absurd things like making a basketball dunk taking advantage of the fact that he can fly.
Thus, long before irreverent titles like Deadpool either The Boys change the rules of the superhero genre, this short already dared to give it a comedic twist. Their pulse did not tremble when it came to making fun of the lycra and the unflattering suits, as well as Josh’s clumsiness when it came to making use of his gifts.
Although none of the protagonists manages to overshadow the retired supervillains Vaudevillain and Hershel, played by Tim Curry and Steve Carell respectively. Their performances are so histrionic and cartoonish that, despite lasting a few minutes on screen, they are the most memorable part of the film.
The Unbelievables seems like the pilot of what could have been a hilarious series about the daily (and absurd) vicissitudes of middle-aged ex-heroes using their powers for the most mundane actions. A bet ahead of its time in many ways, which could well have been a precursor to the most uninhibited superhero productions.
This short is also another example of the talents of Tim Curry and Steve Carell, and the earliest evidence of Gosling’s comedic acumen. The Canadian’s only foray into the world of capes and tights (so far) is worth a watch.
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