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Movie Review
Half Nelson
By Lee Tistaert Published August 31, 2006
US Release: August 11, 2006
Directed by: Ryan Fleck
Starring: Monique Curnen , Ryan Gosling , Shareeka Epps , Anthony Mackie
R
Running Time: 106 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $2,697,938
Directed by: Ryan Fleck
Starring: Monique Curnen , Ryan Gosling , Shareeka Epps , Anthony Mackie
R
Running Time: 106 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $2,697,938
C
The film's dead pace makes it pretty depressing, and it comes off like an edgy after-school-special indie.
Half Nelson is a film that takes roughly an hour to get off the ground. The film is a funny cross between this year?s Lonesome Jim (C-), Gus Van Sant's Last Days (C), and Dangerous Minds (C+); it?s about a depressed guy who mopes around and doesn?t do much, and not much happens (like Jim and Last Days), but he is also an inspiring middle school teacher to troubled black students.
Ryan Gosling has won raves for his portrayal of a coke addict trying to turn around, and his performance is probably pretty accurate. However, the film gets exhausting very quickly; there is a lot of lingering around in claustrophobic settings for the first half (as Gosling struggles to keep it together), which will test the patience of most. The film is very short on character development, and nothing really happens until the second hour. The film's dead pace makes it pretty depressing, and it comes off like an edgy after-school-special indie.
The film also seems confused; part of it is aimed at the Requiem for a Dream (B+) crowd, while it also has elements of Akeelah and the Bee (B-). Half Nelson is partly about cultures colliding, or opposites colliding, and perhaps part of the film?s charm is that it plays with genre opposites. That connection is impressive, but this story still needed a lot of work. Half Nelson is a kind of independent breed that I tend to really dislike: it?s an ultimate performer?s piece (for an actor), but the story (or character study) ultimately doesn?t say much.
Ryan Gosling has won raves for his portrayal of a coke addict trying to turn around, and his performance is probably pretty accurate. However, the film gets exhausting very quickly; there is a lot of lingering around in claustrophobic settings for the first half (as Gosling struggles to keep it together), which will test the patience of most. The film is very short on character development, and nothing really happens until the second hour. The film's dead pace makes it pretty depressing, and it comes off like an edgy after-school-special indie.
The film also seems confused; part of it is aimed at the Requiem for a Dream (B+) crowd, while it also has elements of Akeelah and the Bee (B-). Half Nelson is partly about cultures colliding, or opposites colliding, and perhaps part of the film?s charm is that it plays with genre opposites. That connection is impressive, but this story still needed a lot of work. Half Nelson is a kind of independent breed that I tend to really dislike: it?s an ultimate performer?s piece (for an actor), but the story (or character study) ultimately doesn?t say much.
Lee's Grade: C
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
