Half Nelson (2006)
Directed by Ryan Fleck
Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a startling discovery of his secret life, causing a tenuous bond between the two that could either end disastrously or provide a catalyst of hope.
4 connections found
View:
4 films that influenced Half Nelson
What critics say influenced Half Nelson
That leaves only "The Quiet," an implausible and sadistic little family-secrets film from director Jamie Babbit (she made the lesbian-themed teen comedy "But I'm a Cheerleader" ).
The low-key acting, rooted in naturalism, is reminiscent of Marlon Brando in "The Men'' or Russell Crowe in "The Insider.''
Gosling is known to aficionados of independent films for his fine turns in “The Believer,” “The Slaughter Rule” and “The United States of Leland.”
Gosling's best work is still his Jewish skinhead character in Henry Bean's overlooked The Believer.
Ryan Gosling (The Believer, The Notebook ) stars as Dan Dunne, an inner-city junior high school history teacher.
Ryan Gosling has been an actor to watch ever since he played a Jewish neo-Nazi in 2001's fierce "The Believer".
Though Ryan Gosling has yet to create as powerful a character as he did as a neo-Nazi skinhead in “The Believer,” he does a solid job as the intelligent, though drug-addled, teacher spiraling ever downward.
Ryan Gosling has established himself as one of our most talented young actors with strong performances in films like The Notebook and The Believer.
Yet even folks who weren't entertained by his 2004 starring vehicle Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy should dig this latest offering -- while it never reaches the giddy highs of last summer's premiere stupid-smart comedy, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, it's consistently pleasurable and offers a surprisingly steady stream of laugh-out-loud moments.