The career of Ryan Reynolds has always been something of a mystery to me. Reynolds can act, and he is one of the more noticeable mainstream actors. Usually, Reynolds portrays this smart-mouthed, cocky, womanizing asshole. As far as on-screen personas, Reynolds is more enjoyable and entertaining as the cocky douchebag. He's a lot more smooth and comfortable as the jerk, the charismatic side of his personality really shines, and you can clearly see this in most of his films (Adventureland, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Blade: Trinity, National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting, etc.).
But every now and then, Reynolds will take a stab at more serious roles. He delivered a solid performance in The Amityville Horror remake, and he was just excellent in Buried. A while ago, I had a chance to watch Safe House, and Reynolds was pretty enjoyable. He delivered a convincing performance in Safe House, and Reynolds shared some good chemistry with Denzel.
Reynolds seems to have the tools for a very successful career, so Reynolds should've reached the level of a breakout star by now, right? Reynolds has been around for a while, but he hasn't reached the upper echelon of elite actors in Hollywood yet. Reynolds does have his fair share of popularity, but he hasn't reached the level of a major box office draw. And you can't use The Proposal as an example for box office success for Reynolds, because Sandra Bullock was the star of that film, and she is one of the more consistent and successful big time box office draws.
Green Lantern gave Reynolds the golden opportunity to become a big star, but this film received too many negative reviews from critics and the majority of moviegoers. Green Lantern underachieved at the box office, and this film couldn't live up to the expectations of a big cash run at theaters (http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=greenlantern.htm). Reynolds has the look of a superhero, he can bring a lot of charisma to any character, so what happened? I enjoyed Green Lantern. I wouldn't call it a great film, but Green Lantern had its moments. Although, this film could've been so much better. The screenplay did feel kind of thin, and the overload of unnecessary special effects didn't help anything, so you can't place all of the blame on Reynolds. Still, another Green Lantern film will happen in the future, so Reynolds will have another shot at redemption. Hopefully, he'll have a better script to work with this time around.
Reynolds will have another chance to show us his serious side in R.I.P.D., and the premise sounds intriguing. Also, the potential Deadpool film could give his career a boost. After all, he was one of the more entertaining characters in Origins. And Reynolds seems to be the front runner for the lead role in the Highlander film. Highlander has a nice sized cult following, so Reynolds should gain exposure to a different fanbase.
When I look at Ryan Reynolds, I see someone that should be a major star. He has all the tools, but Reynolds can't breakthrough, and become a major player in Hollywood. Reynolds has the talent, but inconsistency can be a big problem for him. Buried was fantastic and Definitely, Maybe is one of the more refreshing Hollywood romantic comedies. Also, Just Friends is hilarious, but Reynolds' career did hit some rough spots along the way. Smokin' Aces was okay, but as far as structure goes, this film did feel like a real mess most of the time. And you can't forget about Origins: Wolverine, Blade: Trinity, and The Change-Up. They were all awful films, and Reynolds couldn't save any of these stinkers.
I think we've seen the best in Ryan Reynolds. As far as acting goes, he's hit his peak, and I don't think we'll see some mind-blowing transformation over the next couple of years. He has the ability, but Reynolds probably won't become one of the next great actors. Reynolds thrives in his comfort zone, as the cocky douchebag, but he's only had one truly successful performance (Buried) without this persona, so his range can be a big question mark.
I can have big expectations for guys like Ryan Gosling, Jeremy Renner, and Jesse Eisenberg. They have the ability to become great actors, and their careers are filled with some real promise, but I can't say the same thing about Ryan Reynolds.
What are your thoughts?
