The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)

Movies take place in many places — from A Place in the Sun (1951) and Peyton Place (1957) to a A Quiet Place (2018) and A Quiet Place: Day One (2024). But the place Mr. Man most covets is next to the Hollywood hotties in The Place Beyond the Pines (2013). Thanks to the direction of Derek Cianfrance (who co-wrote the script with Ben Coccio and Darius Marder), this R-rated flick follows a motorcycle racer named Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling). In a desperate attempt to raise money to support his child, Luke commits a crime. This act puts him at odds with local lawman Avery (Bradley Cooper), prompting a battle of wits and wills. Before the characters endure life-altering consequences, we encounter Bill (Bruce Greenwood), Jason (Dane DeHaan), Jennifer (Rose Byrne), Kofi (Mahershala Ali), Robin (Ben Mendelsohn), Romina (Eva Mendes), and AJ Cross (Emory Cohen). Of course, we weren’t cross to come across shots of Mr. Cross’s bare back and naked chest. Not to be outdone, Mr. Gosling sizzles on screen when he flashes his tattooed abs. Perhaps that’s why Ryan nabbed a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. If that’s not impressive enough, the indie flick landed on the year’s Top Ten Movie Lists according to HitFix, Vanity Fair, the Denver Post, the Mercury News, the Star-Ledger, Tampa Bay Times, USA Today, and the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. Speaking of ranks, all of us at the Mr. Man offices think this pic’s topless studs are the tops!