Half Nelson

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Nathan Corbett
Directed by: Ryan Fleck
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary:A drug abusing teacher (Ryan Gosling) befriends a gifted student (Shareeka Epps), hoping to help her avoid the temptations of street life and to not make the same mistakes he did.

Review:

Tim: This movie works for one reason- the performance of Ryan Gosling. Without his incredible role, this movie would completely fall apart. I can't remember the last time I watched a film that was so beholden to the performance of one man. I enjoyed this movie, but only because of Gosling. The rest of the movie is little more than decent. As often happens in these types of movies, the film is really just a showcase for a performance. Without Gosling's performance, this movie would be forgettable.

I enjoyed Gosling so much because he gives a troubled, complex performance. His character is so interested because he embodies the characteristics of two different men- one is an idealistic, life-changing teacher. The other is a hopeless drug addict. How both of these men fit into one body is amazing, and it all works because of Gosling. Gosling gets some impressive help from Shareeka Epps. Epps doesn't exactly blow the performance out of the water, but she makes her character seem realistic. This whole movie seems strikingly realistic, and that is greatly due to Gosling and Epps.

Despite these great performances, the movie itself is a bit lackluster. There are some long stretches of sheer boredom. This might be due to the fact that this movie is incredibly realistic (and let's face it, life is quite occasionally boring). Certain parts are too slow, causing you to wish desperately for some action or at least for the story to progress in meaningful ways. That is not Half Nelson, though. Director Ryan Fleck lets his story unfold slowly, never rushing it to please the audience. This allows us to really enjoy a character study of some fascinating people, and to mull over their actions, choices, and their fate.

Half Nelson might not be one of the best movies of the year, but it is certainly a vehicle for one of the best performances of the year. Gosling doesn't give a performance that immediately jumps to mind as one of the all-time greats (think Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood), but his quiet, torturous performance works on so many levels. For that reason, this is a movie worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Lars and the Real Girl, The Notebook, Fracture