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'Half Nelson' eschews typical Hollywood formula

By BOB LONGINO
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Before you first see Ryan Gosling in his small but tightly wound indie drama "Half Nelson," you hear him.

Like a trumpet, he's absent-mindedly lip-buzzing a song during the opening credits. It might seem like a throwaway bit, but the actor's oral twirling is a moviegoer's first sense of what evolves into a nearly perfect performance.

ThinkFilm

'Half Nelson'

A-

The verdict: A full-of-life performance from Ryan Gosling.

Director: Ryan Fleck
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Shareeka Epps, Deborah Rush, Jay O. Sanders
Run time: 107 minutes
Release date: August 11, 2006
Rating: Rated R for drug content throughout, language and some sexuality.

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Official movie site

Mind you, there's not an ounce of histrionics in what Gosling, playing a junior high teacher hooked on drugs, does in front of the camera. There's no Pacino "hoo-ha," no magnificent Brando super-mumblings, not even a deliberate, attention-grabbing Jimmy Stewart stutter.

In fact, not a lot really happens in "Half Nelson," least of all some life-altering drama.

But for a solid 107 minutes, Gosling shapes his character into a flesh-and-blood tone poem, a smart, effective, sometimes even hopeful New York City teacher and girls basketball coach who for whatever reason (we never really find out for sure) spends much of his off hours in a drug-induced fog.

It's after a basketball game, after everyone has long ago gone home, Dan (Gosling) supposes, that he lights up crack and then is discovered in a stupor by one of his students, Drey (newcomer Shareeka Epps).

Her life, too, is in a kind of flux. Her mother works long hours to make ends meet. Brother is in jail for selling drugs. Dad is nowhere. Her future might well be determined by family friend Frank (Anthony Mackie), whose well-financed life comes from pushing drugs.

Drey and her teacher become near soul mates. Like the title of their film, which refers to a wrestling hold, each is partially constrained. It's a wrestling hold one can wiggle out of, but it requires quite a bit of inner strength and determination.

The complex relationship between the main characters is often fascinating. At various times, they seem like mother-son or sister-brother or pusher-addict or counselor-patient. You might even wonder, "Could they be lovers?"

"Half Nelson" isn't the type of film to completely spell out its intentions. An expansion of a film short director Ryan Fleck co-wrote with Anna Boden, it's the exact opposite of the Hollywood studio formula.

This is art that can frustrate many moviegoers, but certainly will enthrall others.

Gosling already has a small fan base from his often riveting performances in the Sundance Film Festival winner "The Believer," the ultra-romantic "The Notebook" and the so-arty-it's-out-there "Stay."

"Half Nelson" isn't high-profile Hollywood. But what it does very clearly is solidify Gosling as someone to watch.