StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

ScoobyMint Disappointment for a huge fan!

Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

merelyaninnuendo Half NelsonThe premise is way too practical to breed the crisp out of the script and the makers being aware of it doesn't spend time on it and instead focuses on its meticulous yet bold character's that helps flow the process smoothly without any friction. There is a nerving sensibility pulsating behind the screen throughout the course of the feature, which builds itself up to this hegemony of dramatic conflicts that starts begging the existence of the character's purpose which communicates and connects immensely with the viewers. It is short on technical aspects like sound department and editing, although is beautifully shot with amazing camera work. Ryan Fleck; the director, has done a tremendous work on executing the anticipated vision and creating a perfect arc for the protagonist that even though is predictable, is certifiably entertaining and electrifying. The performance objective is in safe hands of Ryan Gosling who pulls it off brilliantly as a questionable and not-at-all-lovable character that sweats and struggles, creating a much larger impact on the audience. Half Nelson screeches onto one's heart through ethereal morale by shifting the seats and depicting each individual's perspective that all culminates into one big hug for the viewers, actors, makers and society that connects it all.

SquigglyCrunch Half Nelson follows a drug-addicted teacher who, after one of his students catching him doing drugs, forms a friendship with her. Ryan Gosling snagged his first Oscar nomination for this movie, and it was absolutely deserved. This guy pulls off one of my favorite performances of his. He's got a lot of depth to him, and you can tell just from one look that he's into the performance. He actually looks like a drug addict in a way, but his suffering is clear under that as well. Everything is on this guy's face, and he pulls it off so perfectly that I can't help but acknowledge it. Surprisingly, Shareeka Epps does a really good job as well as Drey, the girl who catches her teacher in the first place. The movie is shot with a hand-held camera, and for the style of film that it is, this works really well. It's a rough-around-the-edges style that suits the movie. It's not full of perfectly steady shots that detract from the general feel of suffering in the film. There are a lot of great things about the movie, but most can be encompassed by the writing. Something that stood out to me right away was how realistic it was. Not in the drug addiction aspect, but in the teaching aspect. Dan is a teacher, and the screenplay really captures what a school classroom is like. It isn't terribly difficult to capture this, but I think that of all the movies I've seen this one really takes the cake for how a classroom really operates. And the movie as a whole manages to be pretty realistic too. The characters are really well fleshed out in this movie. It's not just all about Dan's drug addiction or its effects on his life. His character is well realized and his relationships with others are authentic and well-written. Overall Half Nelson is a fantastically well-written, acted, and directed film. Gosling's performance alone is enough to make this a film worth seeing, and in the end I would definitely recommend it.

Dominic LeRose If students not only wondered, but found out what their teachers were up to when they finished teaching them for the day, I bet you that students would show more respect for teachers. No film has ever opened my eyes to how dense teacher's souls can be, causing me to regret viewing my teachers as simple human beings, and not striving to make personal relationships inside the classroom. Ryan Gosling gives a quietly moving performance playing a young middle-school teacher with a drug problem. His character, Dan Dunne, forms a friendship with one of his students named Drey (Shareeka Epps). The story transcends from a sweet story to a character study on a man who tries to pass through his troubled life to find meaning along the way. Gosling gives a tour de force performance in "Half Nelson." His poignant way of being realistic enough to believe someone like Ryan Gosling could be a teacher transforms our view of a so called "pretty boy" and reminds us we're viewing the flight of a soaring actor full of talent. Writer/Director Ryan Fleck makes it clear he's striving for a redemption story. His characters and shockingly realistic writing have the force to capture the peeks of our hearts, break it in half, and then build it back up. In a subtle fashion, Fleck shows a story of coming out from a shell. There's plenty of moral questions and destiny ideas thrown at us to have us consider the paths of our own lives while we experience an independent film like no other capture our minds and spirits. Thrown students giving presentations to the class, Dan feeling trapped in his life, and a thoroughly effective examination of impoverished city life, "Half Nelson" is both devastating and one of the most unforgettable independent films of our time.

Wuchak "Half Nelson" is a 2006 independent film starring Ryan Gosling as Mr. Dunne, a white school teacher in an inner-city Brooklyn middle school. Mr. Dunne has noble ambitions of being a positive force in the lives of his students but he's bogged down by a crack habit. He strikes up a much-needed friendship with one of his students, a latchkey 13 year-old black girl named Drey, who accidentally discovers his drug problem.Richard Roeper and Kevin Smith's review on At The Movies called "Half Nelson" a masterpiece that everyone should seek out, view and relish; unfortunately it's not even close to being that good.Yes, the acting is great across the board, especially Gosling, but acting itself does not a movie make. What's wrong with this film? For one thing, the story plays out in a dreary monotone its entire length (106 minutes) and ends on an unresolved note. Yet, even this doesn't explain why the film fails to be truly good or great; after all, 2004's "The Woodsman" also plays out in a flat, realistic manner and ends somewhat unresolved, but that film is great. So where does "Half Nelson" go wrong? Although Ryan Gosling is an excellent actor, his character in this film, Mr. Dunne, is lifeless, unlikable, hypocritical and unrepentant; by contrast, Keven Bacon in "The Woodsman" may be lifeless and unlikable, but at least he wasn't hypocritical or unrepentant.By "lifeless and unlikable" I mean that he lacks vibrancy and inspiration, even when he's in his glory teaching his kids about dialectics & history. There's simply no charisma that would compel anyone to want to seek him out, learn from him or befriend him, like, say, Robin Williams' character in "Dead Poets Society." By "hypocritical" I mean the obvious: How much of a positive impact could he possibly have on inner-city youths if he himself is addicted to drugs? This brings to mind the absurd scene where Mr. Dunne confronts a drug dealer who's using Drey as a drug deliverer. Dunne doesn't want Drey to be negatively influenced by a drug dealer but it's okay for her to hang out with a pathetic drug addict like himself (?). The scene ends with Dunne having a drink and "candy" with the drug dealer -- lot of good that confrontation did.By "unrepentant" I mean there's no indication in the story that Dunne desires to or will ultimately choose to detox from his drug habit. He makes the statement that "rehab doesn't work." Okay, that's fine, but do SOMETHING to try to escape your drug problem! There are other problems with the film: The camera bobbles around too much as if to draw attention to itself ("See, this is a realistic slice-of-life picture!") It smacks of pretension.The kids in the classroom seem too well-behaved. This is a problem in Anywhere, America, let alone the inner-city.Despite Mr. Dunne's monotone dreariness, the viewer does desire to see him escape his addiction and fulfill his noble ambitions. We also come to care about Drey -- will she acquire the wisdom to stay away from drugs (dealing or addiction) and prison or will she too become part of the problem? Unfortunately the film leaves everything up in the air. We don't even know if Dunne still has his job at the end.I get the points the film is trying to make -- this is an anti-inspirational teacher/mentor movie. There's no by-the-numbers breakthrough for student or teacher. "Half Nelson" isn't concerned with such things; it's concerned with the the simple achievement of going to work every day and accomplishing something beyond oneself, despite a flawed nature and crippling habit. It's a fine point but it could have been done in a much more compelling way.Don't get me wrong, I don't hate "Half Nelson." I did appreciate quite a few aspects of it, especially Dunne's unlikely friendship with a 13 year-old girl, but the story never rises above its flat dreariness to become anything more than okay.GRADE: C