Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

metta1 The sentence I copied from the glowing number one review which I pasted below says it all. "Although the premise of the film is somewhat implausible, Gosling's performance of the charming but flawed teacher is completely credible"

moonspinner55 Stark and riveting, "Half Nelson" proves we don't need reality entertainment: this non-glossy, non-'Hollywood' drama seems real enough. Junior high school history teacher and girls' basketball coach Ryan Gosling crawls into a crack-clouded fog once he gets home; one of his inner-city students knows his secret, yet she is harboring troubles of her own. Gosling is inherently charismatic and intrinsically smart while working from a gut instinct, resulting in a performance that is constantly surprising, always unpredictable; as an actor, he is so focused (and brave) that we don't recoil from him even as his character is turned inside-out, showing us behavior that is hardly pretty. Supporting cast is equally strong, aided by an outstanding screenplay from Anna Boden and director Ryan Fleck, who shies away from both sentimentality and melodramatic sensationalism. "Half Nelson" is so good, critics run the risk of overpraising it. It is mainly a quiet movie, a character study in a lower key, and yet what we absorb from it can last for days. *** from ****

Vasco Cid Gosling carries the film out of semi obscurity, undeservedly so, with a tour de force performance conveying bravery and range well beyond his years. He plays a young and apparently together history teacher/ basketball coach at a predominantly black Brooklyn school, battling with severe depression and addiction while off duty. When one semi troubled and off the tracks student uncovers his secret in a brutal and chilling bathroom scene, their connection evolves to an ever growing judgmental and glass-house-rapport leading to an inevitable and somewhat unexpected interconnection.Missing a stronger grasp at the helm and more effective editing, Ryan Fleck overuses the shaky camera to a point of exhaustion, beyond what the gripping story asks for sometimes losing the viewer that is never quite alienated thanks to Gosling's magnetism and deserving first Oscar nomination.

steve_b33 Very good urban drama with Gosling as the heart of gold teacher who seems to function normally but has a serious secret drug habit - one of his pupils (Epps) discovers this but keeps quiet and the two strike up a tentative friendship - her uncle is a dealer and tries to get her to join the business - forcing Gosling into direct action. What's interesting about it is that is non-judgemental - a junkie teacher would be an obvious target for moral panic but the film merely observes without drawing any conclusions - both leads work very together and Gosling shows even back then just what a superb actor he is - highly recommended...