Review of Half Nelson (2006) by Melvin W — 26 Jul 2011
Dan: Second chances are rare, man. You ought to take better advantage of them. .
Half Nelson is an above average drug-related film. The movie succeeds because of its performances. It doesn't have a complicated storyline or even a storyline to begin with. It's a story about a teacher who has a drug problem and that's all the plot you need when you can pull the performances out of the actors that we see here. The movie is subtly powerful. It never tries to hammer us over the head with it's powerfulness though. Unlike a lot of movies; we don't see the main character completely lose it and weep all over the place and vow to change his life and that's pretty refreshing. .
Like I said above, the performance in Half Nelson are really out of this world. Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps and Anthony Mackie. Gosling is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. His performance here as Dan Dunne, a history teacher with a crack problem, is definitely Oscar potential. It would have been a crime if he hadn't been nominated. His character has major problems, but we always see how good a person he is through his relationship with a student, Drey(Shareeka Epps). Epps also gives a magnificent performance. Her and Gosling's chemistry is off the charts and in the end is what makes the movie. If those two have bad chemistry; the movie would have been a total disaster. Then there's Anthony Mackie, who continues to be in good movie after good movie. He's not a lead actor, but he is always good in that supporting role.
What your not going to get here is a fast moving, plot driven film. If that's what you want, don't watch it because your going to be disappointed. The movie is slow moving, as every character study is. Hence the word study. If you can sit through a slow moving movie and get something out of it, this is a great movie to watch. There's individual scenes with great power to them. .
If not for the movie itself, watch it for Ryan Gosling. He is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with.
This review of Half Nelson (2006) was written by Melvin W on 26 Jul 2011.
Half Nelson has generally received very positive reviews.
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