Why so much hype?

Just what I expected

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Half NelsonThe premise is way too practical to breed the crisp out of the script and the makers being aware of it doesn't spend time on it and instead focuses on its meticulous yet bold character's that helps flow the process smoothly without any friction. There is a nerving sensibility pulsating behind the screen throughout the course of the feature, which builds itself up to this hegemony of dramatic conflicts that starts begging the existence of the character's purpose which communicates and connects immensely with the viewers. It is short on technical aspects like sound department and editing, although is beautifully shot with amazing camera work. Ryan Fleck; the director, has done a tremendous work on executing the anticipated vision and creating a perfect arc for the protagonist that even though is predictable, is certifiably entertaining and electrifying. The performance objective is in safe hands of Ryan Gosling who pulls it off brilliantly as a questionable and not-at-all-lovable character that sweats and struggles, creating a much larger impact on the audience. Half Nelson screeches onto one's heart through ethereal morale by shifting the seats and depicting each individual's perspective that all culminates into one big hug for the viewers, actors, makers and society that connects it all.

(Flash Review)Watch on gritty celluloid how a deep thinking guy "Dan", with a substance abuse problem while working as a white teacher in an inner city school, forms an unexpected bond with one of his students "Drey". There is an scene where Dan is found very vulnerable by Drey and she assists rather than judges him. They have a solid understanding of each other's life's hurdles and he feels the need to protect her from a bad slice of life. How will things play out? Will he overcome his own substance abuse challenges? This was a fairly subtle and calm drama for the subject matter and it tended to lack enough tension to be enthralling as found in Al Pacino's Panic In Needle Park, which this resembled. Yet Gosling and the female lead did a great job with a natural everyday portrayal of living with their circumstances. The film had lots of soft focus, shallow depth of field and organic cinematography. Solid but I personally needed a bit more drama.

As Dan Dunne wearingly slouches on a couch while his parents, completely oblivious to his condition, intoxicatingly prance around their living room, it becomes painfully apparent to us that he is fighting this battle completely by his lonesome. "I used to be so *beeped* up... but I *beepin* cleaned up" Dan later proudly professes to a teacher he's on a date with, as he proceeds to snort a line off his coke-riddled desk.Half Nelson is not so much a film as it is an in-depth character study, and a masterpiece it is in that regard. The story of Dan Dunne, a troubled (to put it mildly) history teacher is a a refreshingly sobering look - the irony - into the human experience. It provides us with little exposition into any of its characters lives but we learn a great deal of their hardship. And so, we too, like Dan, find ourselves adrift and in a state of confusion.Ryan Gosling is seriously good in this role. His portrayal of a nuanced, reticent, struggling man is about as accurate as one can come to expect. The way he delivers certain mannerisms is so spot on and makes his spiral into despair that much more believable. Also great in their roles are Anthony Mackie, as Frank, and Shareeka Epps, as Drey.But the mastery of Half Nelson stems from the power it punches in its raw subtlety. The writing, directing and acting are not presented as some didactic device that sets out to explore a resolution of its characters problems. Rather, this film depicts a true-to-life story that is as poignant as it is matter-of-fact. And perhaps that is why we are left feeling empty come the film's end - because, sometimes, life doesn't have the answers we have come to expect.

Ryan Gosling is soooo... I don't know what words to use, so I'd rater say : look again and again and again at everything he does (and doesn't) do : take the expressions in his eyes, the way he chuckles his head at times.No big visual effects, no Hollywoodian music, serve well this healthy movie. Makes it far more real. Touches far more deeply. Though two things I missed : a non shaking camera and some pretty light (as happens for one minute in the movie). Anyway I would follow the character in his creepy apartment... I love him!