One Sentence Movie Reviews: “Half Nelson” (2006):
Half Nelson (2006): “The Verdict set in the 8th grade.”
Notes: Heard it extolled on both The Treatment and Ebert & Roeper. Slow going at first but eventually absorbs you completely. Like a Hubert Selby novel, poetic dirty and horribly, awfully sad.
Best guess as to why it’s called Half Nelson. A half nelson is a wrestling hold where an oppontent is immobilized with their hands behind their back, similar to the paralyzing mess the main character has made of his life.