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Half Nelson

(2006, Rated R, Drama, Starring Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Shareeka Epps)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 15, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 15.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Indie inner-city drama with drug-addict teacher.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 15–16

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Obviously this is a story about good role models who have bad sides, exemplified by Danny, the young teacher who really cares, but is also really messed up on drugs a lot of the time. His fellow administrators seem jaded and apathetic, though they're "straight." The student girl Drey is no angel, but she's smart enough to shy away from violence and destructive lifestyles. A drug dealer flaunts his easy-money earnings.
  • Violence:

    The main character is struck in the face while nearly committing rape.
  • Sex:

    A montage-y tangle of limbs in a lyrical sex scene between Daniel and another teacher he takes as a lover. Later in a drug-fueled state he nearly rapes her. Scantily dressed females in drug dens and music-club environments.
  • Language:

    Much swearing, in arguments, street talk, and during heated school basketball games (Coach Dunne gets penalized for calling someone an asshole).
  • Consumerism:

    Some popular songs on the soundtrack.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    The main character is a drug-addict teacher who claims he can keep it under control, and we get glimpses of langorous crack-smoking parties and drinking in bars.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Half Nelson

Parents need to know that this is no "hero white teacher saves the poor minority students" uplifter. Instead it's far more complex and challenging, because the white hero teacher, for all his good intentions, is also a drug user, a slave to narcotics on the streets, and conflicted about his job. There is much raw language; some sex, including a scene that mixes sex with violence; and the depiction of a strung-out addict. And the "straight" teachers in the school are jaded and calloused. The kids, especially the girl who learns Mr. Dunne's secret, seem less at-risk than he does. In class, Dunne's (unauthorized) history lessons come from a sharply left-wing stance, with reports on U.S. violations of law and human rights, at home and abroad.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about ways this movie goes against clichés, presenting a very clearly flawed main character in the normally idealized role of a teacher-mentor. Who do you think is a healthier person, Dan Dunne or Drey? Dunne's students do seem to be learning from him, but do you really think he should have a job as an educator? What do you think will happen to him? Kids and grownups can talk about the real-life teachers they've admired, and whether any of them seemed like the sorts of characters we see presented onscreen, in Half Nelson or more typical blackboard-jungle dramas.

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title off for age 13 and give it 5.0

    Great indie movie

    This is one of those movies that I could not get out of my head for days. It was a great, realistic story of a drug-addicted teacher who balances his love and concern for his students with his addiction. It's an accurate portrayal of human nature, and it conveys the fact that just because a person does something wrong, it doesn't make them a bad person. The movie was appropriately rated R. There were around 30 f-words, and numerous other profanities throughout. The drug content was detailed. We see a couple having sex, but nothing in detail, and it's shown in short clips, not the whole seen at once. Danny does almost rape his girlfriend, but it's nothing detailed, and nothing more than would be shown on some TV shows. Overall, I think this is a good movie for adults. Definitely not for kids.

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