He may have faltered a bit last week with the commercially disappointing Gangster Squad, but Ryan Gosling has been on quite a run over the past few years, alternating between critical indie darlings and commercially successful fare.
Of course, Gosling’s big breakout was 2004’s The Notebook. I’m sure Mr. Gosling got offered every type of romantic drama and action film under the sun afterwards, but he chose an admirable path doing indie work like 2007’s Lars and the Real Girl and 2010’s Blue Valentine.
2011 proved to be even more of a breakout for him, with three well-regarded pictures: the romantic dramedy Crazy Stupid Love, the George Clooney-directed political thriller The Ides of March, and the terrific Drive.
He’s been (for the most part) pretty shrewd about picking his projects and he’s got upcoming indie collaborations with the directors of both Blue Valentine and Drive. He’s been solid in everything I’ve seen him in, but one movie stands out in particular: 2006’s Half Nelson. It is also, sadly, one of his least known pictures.
Gosling plays a middle school teacher in the inner city who forms a friendship with one of his female students after she discovers his secret: he’s a severe drug addict. This is an extremely well-written and insightful story. And Gosling is fantastic in the role. He would receive an Oscar nomination for the film that was very well-deserved. Even with the nomination, Half Nelson would earn a light $4.6 million at the box office, though it was profitable due to a tiny $700K budget.
If you’re a fan of Mr. Gosling, I highly recommend Half Nelson. He’s certainly got a bright career ahead of him and he’s had some top-notch performances so far. This is his best one to date.
All My Life... I Wanted To Be A Blogster 