Ryan Gosling’s Favorite Comedy Was Once Critically Panned — Here’s Why It’s Now A Cult Favorite!

Do you know which comedy movie is Ryan Gosling’s guilty pleasure? Read on for the full story!

- June 24, 2025 | 8:08 PM IST

What Is Ryan Gosling’s Favorite Comedy Movie?(Photo Credit –YouTube)

Ryan Gosling could’ve said Casablanca. He could’ve said Citizen Kane. But no, he picked Step Brothers. While chatting with Still Watching Netflix to promote The Gray Man two years ago, Gosling dropped the kind of cinematic confession that instantly earns him honorary couch potato status.

“You tell people your favorite movie is On the Waterfront when it’s really Step Brothers,” the Barbie star admitted. And frankly, that’s a good take. Let’s break that down: Step Brothers, a film once described by critics as a chaotic mess with juvenile humor, is Gosling’s go-to feel-good flick.

“You could be in a bad place in your life, you could be in a great place in your life, it’s always the right time,” he said during the chat. And just like that, he gave us the perfect thesis statement for the cult classic that never got the respect it deserved.

Ryan Gosling’s Guilty Pleasure: How Step Brothers Went From Cringe To Cult Gold

Released in 2008 and directed by Adam McKay, Step Brothers follows Dale (John C. Reilly) and Brennan (Will Ferrell), two grown men forced to live together as new stepbrothers when their parents get married. Their chemistry was stupidly brilliant. From fighting over a drum set to bonding over Boats N’ Hoes, they turn childish rivalry into pure comic gold.

Ryan Gosling‘s love makes even more sense when you realize the film’s secret weapon is unfiltered energy. Every scene teeters on the edge of disaster… and that’s exactly what makes it magic. Critics didn’t get it at the time. It currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 54% with IMDB rating standing at 6.9/10. Roger Ebert went as far as saying the movie made him feel “unclean.” But audiences got it. The box office backed it. The memes exploded. And in time, Step Brothers evolved from “guilty pleasure” to “cultural mainstay.”

Also, the fake Catalina Wine Mixer finale? It’s now a real event on Catalina Island. The fictional “Boats N’ Hoes” music video? It inspired an actual political PAC. Even Marion Cotillard once said the film’s ending makes her cry. Add Justin Kurzel and Ryan Gosling to that surprise fan list, and this movie’s legacy starts looking way more legit than most critics predicted.

There’s no sequel, though Will Ferrell once teased a version where Brennan and Dale follow their parents to a retirement home, but the Step Brothers magic lives on. Gosling didn’t just name-drop it for laughs. He meant it. Because beneath all the fart jokes and bunk bed disasters, there’s something oddly comforting about a comedy that fully commits to being ridiculous. And let’s be honest, Step Brothers is always the right time.