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'Half Nelson' eschews typical Hollywood formula
by Bob Longino

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. 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. Read the full review

TO SUM UP
An inner-city junior high school teacher teaches his students how change works — on both a historical and personal scale — and how to think for themselves. When his troubled students learns that the teacher has a drug habit, they form an unlikely friendship that brings each to an important turning point in their lives.

FILM FACTS ...

ThinkFilm

'Half Nelson'

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.

On the web
Official movie site

READ THE REVIEW

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A-
"This is art that can frustrate many moviegoers, but certainly will enthrall others."

Read the full review

Austin American-Statesman: 4 of 5 stars
"(Director Ryan) Fleck ... touches lightly on conflicts instead of hammering them home. While there are plenty of morals to be found in the story, he doesn't dictate how viewers should interpret them."