Half Nelson
Release Date:
August 11, 2006
Limited release
On the Big Board |
Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
44/200 |
Max Braden |
Gosling is great, but the movie runs out of steam by the end. |
Ryan Gosling plays Dan Dunne, a youthful inner-city junior school teacher who finds his idealistic nature challenged as he faces each day in his dank Brooklyn classroom. Yet, somehow, he is able to challenge and inspire 13- and 14-year-old kids as he teaches them about such historically vital events as the Civil War and the civil rights movement. He tosses aside the dull, expected curriculum and gives his students an opportunity to relate past events to their own lives in such a way that they are thinking and analyzing for themselves. Dan is an inspirational instructor, but his dynamic personality hides the fact that after school hours he has a serious drug habit.
One day, one of Dan's students, Drey (Shareeka Epps, catches him shooting up after school. This awkward situation ultimately leads the duo into an unlikely friendship where both see their paths influenced by the opinions and ideas of the other. Sitting at a crossroads where both their lives can change for the better, they must make decisions about the paths they will take. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
Vital statistics for Half Nelson |
Main Cast |
Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps |
Supporting Cast |
Anthony Mackie, Karen Chilton, Monique Cumen, Tina Holmes, Collins Pennie, Deborah Rush, Jay O. Sanders, Sebastian Sozzi, Nicole Vicius, Tristan Wilds |
Director |
Ryan Fleck |
Screenwriter |
Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden |
Distributor |
ThinkFilm |
Trailer |
Click Here for Trailer
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Rating |
R |
Screen Count |
2 |
Awards |
Awards page for Half Nelson
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Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture |
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