85
Metascore
31 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumHalf Nelson offers an opportunity to marvel, once again, at the dazzling talent of Ryan Gosling for playing young men as believable as they are psychologically trip-wired.
- 100TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxSuperb drama from New York-based filmmakers Ryan Flek and Anna Boden.
- 91The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasGosling excels at playing contradictory characters like this one, having kick-started his career as a Jewish neo-Nazi in "The Believer," but here, his inner turmoil rarely gets vocalized. It's a remarkably subtle performance.
- 90Village VoiceVillage VoiceThe audacity of making an inner-city drama in which the white-male authority figure is the crackhead finds its equal in Gosling's already legendary performance, a high-wire act that's gutsiest for its unconscionable charm.
- 90The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisWhat makes Half Nelson both an unusual and an exceptional American film, particularly at a time when even films about Sept. 11 are professed to have no politics, is its insistence on political consciousness as a moral imperative.
- 80Film ThreatFilm ThreatFleck manages to mix the storylines which include drug abuse, political commentary and making good choices about your life's path flawlessly.
- 80New York Magazine (Vulture)New York Magazine (Vulture)Downbeat as it is, Half Nelson is a genuinely inspirational film--a terrifically compelling character study and a tricky exploration of the links (and busted links) between the personal and the political.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterIf there was ever any doubt, with Half Nelson, Ryan Gosling establishes himself as a major talent and one of the finest young actors around.
- 80VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyAvoiding rote inspirational notes as well as boyz-in-the-hood violence, scrupulously low-key drama nonetheless builds to a powerful impact.
- 75PremierePremiereNelson works largely because Gosling and Epps work flawlessly together.