Every Ryan Gosling fan needs to watch these 3 free movies this weekend (March 20-22)

Ryan Gosling is one of Hollywood’s most likable movie stars. His Canadian charm paired with his handsome looks makes for a winning formula. Gosling’s versatility is his greatest asset. The three-time Oscar nominee can play someone who steals your heart in The Notebook, just as he can easily beat you to a pulp in Drive. I’m glad to see the struggling cornerback in Remember the Titans got back on his feet.

Gosling’s next adventure, Project Hail Mary, requires him to go to space to save the world. Even if you haven’t seen The Martian, Project Hail Mary should be fun for all the Gosling fans. In honor of Project Hail Mary, there are several Gosling movies that are streaming for free on services like Pluto TV. This weekend, our top selection is a dark comedy about the financial crisis with a laugh-out-loud performance from Gosling. Our other two picks are emotional stories that show off the actor’s dramatic range.

3

Blue Valentine

Love hurts

Sometimes, movies are hard to watch because of how they make you feel. Violence is always the leading reason, along with graphic language and disturbing subject matter. There is some violence in Blue Valentine, but the emotional punches throughout the film are why it makes you look away.

Gosling and Michelle Williams star as Dean and Cindy, who eventually fall in love and marry. The movie jumps back and forth between two timelines: the past, which shows their courtship and the origins of their love, and the present, which examines the dissolution of their marriage. Derek Cianfrance, who loves exploring flawed men with their emotional trauma, does not sugarcoat the ups and downs of marriage.

Is Blue Valentine a date-night movie? Probably not, especially if your relationship is on the rocks. However, Blue Valentine is worth watching because of its strong performances from Gosling and Williams. There’s beauty in defeat, and Blue Valentine is not afraid to tackle real issues faced by many couples. Paul Mescal said it best: “Blue Valentine is a movie that consistently ruins your day in the best sense of the word.”

Blue Valentine is now streaming for free on Pluto TV.

2

Half Nelson

From heartthrob to Oscar nominee

In 2004, Gosling vaulted into heartthrob status with the success of The Notebook. The Nicholas Sparks romantic drama is still considered one of Gosling’s most memorable roles. Imagine having all of that juice as an ascending actor, and instead of parlaying that success into the lead of a blockbuster franchise, you star in a critically acclaimed independent pic that resulted in your Best Actor Oscar nomination at age 26. Honestly, I respect Gosling because not many actors would choose that route.

The movie I’m referring to is 2006’s Half Nelson, a quiet drama directed by Ryan Fleck from a screenplay he co-wrote with Anna Boden. Dan Dunne (Gosling) is a Brooklyn middle school teacher whose unconventional methods win over his students. However, Dan holds a dark secret—he is a drug addict. Dan does his best to hide his addiction, but one student, Drey (Shareeka Epps), catches him in the act. The two eventually form an unlikely friendship, as Dan slowly opens up about his addiction, while Drey explains her family’s checkered history with drugs.

Half Nelson is not a movie about defying the odds to achieve success. Instead, Fleck and Boden are more interested in the minutiae in the lives of complicated people, who, at least for one day, strive to be better—even if it doesn’t happen. The Notebook changed Gosling’s life, but Half Nelson shaped his career.

Half Nelson is now streaming for free on Pluto TV.

1

The Big Short

A darkly comedic view of the financial crisis

Show of hands: How many of you can explain subprime mortgages or credit default swaps? Now, how many of you needed Margot Robbie in a bathtub or Selena Gomez at a casino table to explain this complicated financial jargon? I needed the latter, so thanks to Adam McKay for those ideas.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, those scenes are from The Big Short, McKay’s Oscar-winning satirical drama about the events leading up to the 2008 financial crisis. Some of the notable characters are Michael Burry (Christian Bale), who used his hedge fund to short the housing market; Mark Baum (Steve Carell), the leader of a trading firm who despises the banking system; and Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt), a retired trader who offers two young investors help with their credit swaps.

Yet when I revisit The Big Short, I immediately gravitate toward Gosling’s scenes as Jared Vennett, a self-indulgent sales representative who tries to convince Baum to buy the swaps. Vennett’s pitch to Baum and his partners is eight minutes of comedic gold. Astute viewers will notice that Vennett’s “nice shirt” comment is directed towards Vinny Daniel, played by the eldest boy himself, Jeremy Strong.

The Big Short is now streaming for free on Pluto TV.

Other movies to watch this week

If you’re looking for more free movies to watch, try checking out No Country for Old Men on YouTube and Almost Famous on Tubi. If you have Netflix, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man finally arrives on Netflix this weekend. Plus, Oscar-winner One Battle After Another is available to stream on HBO Max.

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Stephan Dorsey

Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.

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I Wish My Brother Had Been Diagnosed With Schizophrenia Before He Turned 18

Do you ever walk past a person on the streets exhibiting mental health issues and wonder what happened to their family? I have a brother—or at least, I used to. I worry about where he is and hope he is safe. He hasn’t taken my call since 2014.

James and his brother as young children playing together before his brother became sick. James is on the right and his brother is on the left.

When I was 13, I had a very bad day. I was in the back of the car, and what I remember most was the world-crushing sound violently panging off every surface: he was pounding his fists into the steering wheel, and I worried it would break apart. He was screaming at me and my mother, and I remember the web of saliva and tears hanging over his mouth. His eyes were red, and I knew this day would change everything between us. My brother was sick.

Nearly 20 years later, I still have trouble thinking about him. By the time we realized he was mentally ill, he was no longer a minor. The police brought him to a facility for the standard 72-hour hold, where he was diagnosed with paranoid delusional schizophrenia. Concluding he was not a danger to himself or others, they released him.

There was only one problem: at 18, my brother told the facility he was not related to us and that we were imposters. When they let him out, he refused to come home.

My parents sought help and even arranged for medication, but he didn’t take it. Before long, he disappeared.

My brother’s decline and disappearance had nothing to do with the common narratives about drug use or criminal behavior. He was sick. By the time my family discovered his condition, he was already 18 and legally independent from our custody.

The last time he let me visit, I asked about his bed. I remember seeing his dirty mattress on the floor beside broken glass and garbage. I also asked about the laptop my parents had gifted him just a year earlier. He needed the money, he said—and he had maxed out my parents’ credit card.

In secret from my parents, I gave him all the cash I had saved. I just wanted him to be alright.

My parents and I tried texting and calling him; there was no response except the occasional text every few weeks. But weeks turned into months.

Before long, I was graduating from high school. I begged him to come. When I looked in the bleachers, he was nowhere to be seen. I couldn’t help but wonder what I had done wrong.

The last time I heard from him was over the phone in 2014. I tried to tell him about our parents and how much we all missed him. I asked him to be my brother again, but he cut me off, saying he was never my brother. After a pause, he admitted we could be friends. Making the toughest call of my life, I told him he was my brother—and if he ever remembers that, I’ll be there, ready for him to come back.

I’m now 32 years old. I often wonder how different our lives would have been if he had been diagnosed as a minor and received appropriate care. The laws in place do not help families in my situation.

My brother has no social media, and we suspect he traded his phone several years ago. My family has hired private investigators over the years, who have also worked with local police to try to track him down.

One private investigator’s report indicated an artist befriended my brother many years ago. When my mother tried contacting the artist, they said whatever happened between them was best left in the past and declined to respond. My mom had wanted to wish my brother a happy 30th birthday.

My brother grew up in a safe, middle-class home with two parents. He had no history of drug use or criminal record. He loved collecting vintage basketball cards, eating mint chocolate chip ice cream, and listening to Motown music. To my parents, there was no smoking gun indicating he needed help before it was too late.

The next time you think about a person screaming outside on the street, picture their families. We need policies and services that allow families to locate and support their loved ones living with mental illness, and stronger protections to ensure that individuals leaving facilities can transition into stable care. Current laws, including age-based consent rules, the limits of 72-hour holds, and the lack of step-down or supported housing options, leave too many families without resources when a serious diagnosis occurs.

Governments and lawmakers need to do better for people like my brother. As someone who thinks about him every day, I can tell you the burden is too heavy to carry alone.

James Finney-Conlon is a concerned brother and mental health advocate. He can be reached at [email protected].

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