Half Nelson (2006)
91 %
Reviews Counted: 142 Fresh: 129 Rotten:13 Average Rating: 7.6/10
Consensus:
An honest and inspirational film that explores the precarious relationship between a white inner-city public school teacher struggling with his own demons and a young black girl on the verge of losing her innocence, Half Nelson features powerful performances from Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps. It's a wise, unsentimental portrait of lonely people at the crossroads. Half Nelson proves one doesn't need a huge budget or an A-list star to make a honest, absorbing drama.
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Theatrical Release: Aug 11, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $2,591,047
Synopsis: High school teacher Dan (Ryan Gosling) and quiet teenager Drey (Shareeka Epps) are two lonely souls who wander the planet looking to attach some semblance of meaning to their chaotic lives. Dan teaches Drey in a dilapidated school in Brooklyn, New York. Their relationship is unremarkable... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie, Tina Holmes, Christopher Williamson
Director: Ryan Fleck
Screenwriter: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Producer: Anna Boden
Composer: Broken Social Scene
Screenwriter: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Producer: Anna Boden
Composer: Broken Social Scene
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Half Nelson trades melodrama for authenticity, cliche heroics for genuine heart, cheap cinematic parlor tricks for blessed restraint.
Comment
02/28/08
Gosling's fashioned a very special performance that carries the picture on its back, saving it from its worst intentions.
06/26/07
It is, in fact, a fine piece of work: reticent, intelligent, wholly devoid of triumphalism or self-pity.
04/28/07
Click to read the article
04/27/07
While the students first mock Marxist dialectics and notions of oppression applied to the everyday, they are eventually eagerly embracing the rebellious spirit of Attica and Allende in class presentations that provide euphoric momentum.
04/22/07
Looks to me like a self conscious film that thrives on its own negativity. Studied, anti-establishment, arthouse cinema that gloats over its moral superiority %u2013 which is rather ironic.
04/21/07
It’s a thoughtful character study with Gosling simply tremendous as the functioning addict, who seems to use crack to anaesthetise him from his inability to form adult relationships.
04/20/07
A riveting study in dislocation and connection, hurt and healing, with Gosling revealed as potentially the most gifted actor of his generation.
04/20/07
It's impressively adult, sure-footed filmmaking, and that Best Actor nod was definitely deserved.
04/20/07
Dunne [Gosling] is an enjoyable and impressive creation, justifiably recognised with an Oscar nomination for Gosling earlier this year.
04/20/07
It’s the gritty script and sheer quality of the performances that distinguish this parable.
04/20/07
High ideals clash with Bush-era realities in this class debut - well balanced, wonderfully performed, and refreshingly free from cliche.
04/20/07
An original work that is moving, not without humour, fly-on-the-wall realistic and uplifting.
04/20/07
It takes a while to settle into the rhythm (feeling episodic at first), but Half Nelson soon takes hold with a vice-like grip.
04/17/07
A worthy performance in a film that only needed a couple of tweaks to match his contribution.
03/05/07
Fine performances all around in this admirable, if not exactly great, film.
03/04/07
The gifted young actor Ryan Gosling elevates Half Nelson from a project fraught with credibility issues into a surprisingly persuasive character study
02/22/07
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Ryan Gosling fans unite!-HALF NELSON gets skedded for release in August of 2006!!!
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