Movies Like Half Nelson (2006)

Half Nelson is a 2006 drama film from Ryan Fleck with a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with New Jack City and The Winning Season.

Drama

New Jack City

1991

A gangster, Nino, is in the Cash Money Brothers, making a million dollars every week selling crack. A cop, Scotty, discovers that the only way to infiltrate the gang is to become a dealer himself.

6.6

MagicScore

The Winning Season

2009

A comedy centered on a has-been coach who is given a shot at redemption when he's asked to run his local high school's girls basketball team

6.3

MagicScore

Hoop Dreams

1994

Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.

7.6

MagicScore

Coach Carter

2005

Based on a true story, in which Richmond High School head basketball coach Ken Carter made headlines in 1999 for benching his undefeated team due to poor academic results.

7.6

MagicScore

Five Corners

1987

A psychotic young man returns to his old neighborhood after release from prison. He seeks out the woman he previously tried to rape and the man who protected her, with twisted ideas of love for her and hate for him.

5.8

MagicScore

Set It Up

2018

Two overworked and underpaid assistants come up with a plan to get their bosses off their backs by setting them up with each other.

6.9

MagicScore

The Basketball Diaries

1995

A high school basketball player’s life turns upside down after free-falling into the harrowing world of drug addiction.

7.4

MagicScore

Just Wright

2010

Physical therapist Leslie Wright lands the dream job of working with basketball superstar Scott McKnight, helping him recover from a career-threatening injury. All goes well and soon Leslie finds herself falling in love with him. Just as their friendship deepens, however, Scott focuses his attention back on his tenuous relationship with his ex-fiancé Morgan, Leslie's gorgeous godsister, who would love to be the basketball player's trophy wife.

6.5

MagicScore

Eddie

1996

Eddie is a New York limo driver and a fanatical follower of the New York Knicks professional basketball team. The team is struggling with a mediocre record when, in mid-season, "Wild Bill" Burgess, the new owner, as a public relations gimmick, stages an 'honorary coach' contest, which Eddie wins. The fans love it, so "Wild Bill" fires the coach and hires her. She takes the bunch of overpaid prima

5.5

MagicScore

#10

Stripes

1981

Hard-luck cabbie John Winger, directionless after being fired from his job and dumped by his girlfriend, enlists in the U.S. Army with his close pal, Russell Ziskey. After his barely satisfactory performance in basic training, the irreverent Winger emerges as the figurehead for a ragtag band of misfits. However, his hijinks threaten to cause an international scandal when he inadvertently commandeers a military assault vehicle behind enemy lines.

6.6

MagicScore

#11

Confessions

2010

Devastated at the death of her four-year-old daughter, a grieving middle school teacher is horrified to discover that her students aren't as innocent as she thinks.

7.6

MagicScore

#12

Tokyo Story

1953

The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder son, Koichi, a doctor, and their daughter, Shige, a hairdresser, don't have much time to spend with their aged parents, and so it falls to Noriko, the widow of their younger son who was killed in the war, to keep her in-laws company.

8.1

MagicScore

#13

Summer's Blood

2009

A demented handyman comes to the rescue of a young woman, then imprisons her in his basement.

5.5

MagicScore

#14

Not One Less

1999

Set in the People's Republic of China during the 1990s, the film centers on a 13-year-old substitute teacher, Wei Minzhi, in the Chinese countryside. Called in to substitute for a village teacher for one month, Wei is told not to lose any students.

7.5

MagicScore

#15

The Teacher

2017

Teacher in the most prestigious highschool in the country, François enjoys the life he’s always known, in the intellectual and bourgeois society of Paris. Trapped in a situation where he’s forced to accept a job in a school of a tough underprivileged suburb, he finds himself confronted to his own limits and to the upheaval of his values and certainties.

6.5

MagicScore

#16

The Student

2016

A high school student becomes convinced that the world is lost to evil and begins to challenge the morals and beliefs of the adults surrounding him.

6.4

MagicScore

#17

7 Virgins

2005

Tano is 16-years-old and is already sitting in jail. In 48 hours he’s a free man and off to the wedding of his brother. In the two days he recounts his neighborhood in a section of Sevilla.

6.0

MagicScore

#18

Terkel in Trouble

2004

6th-grader Terkel begins experiencing a streak of bad luck after sitting on a black spider. His teacher dies and is replaced by the strange Justin. At home, Terkel's Uncle Stewart erupts in sporadic fits of rage, and at school Terkel is bullied by two boys after they learn that fat Doris likes him. On a school camping trip, Terkel begins receiving death threats and must figure out who wants to kill him.

6.5

MagicScore

#19

Passages

2023

Tomas and Martin are a gay couple living in Paris whose marriage is thrown into crisis when Tomas impulsively begins a passionate affair with young schoolteacher Agathe. But when Martin begins an affair of his own, Tomas must confront life decisions he may be unprepared—or unwilling—to deal with.

6.3

MagicScore

#20

Hi, Are You Alone?

1995

Nina is a 20 years old girl from Valladolid who lives with her divorced father, an autoritarian and conservative man. Trini is of the same age and has lost her mother. For both Valladolid and their families have nothing to offer and therefore they go on a risky voyage to the Costa del Sol at the south of Spain.

5.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Half Nelson?

The top films similar to Half Nelson by MovieMagicScore are New Jack City (6.6), The Winning Season (6.3), Hoop Dreams (7.6). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Half Nelson worth watching?

Half Nelson holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10 from 909 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Half Nelson?

Half Nelson (2006) is a drama film directed by Ryan Fleck, starring Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie.

Where can I find more recommendations like Half Nelson?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like New Jack City Movies like The Winning Season Movies like Hoop Dreams Movies like Coach Carter Movies like Five Corners Movies like Set It Up

About movies like Half Nelson

This ranked list pairs Half Nelson (2006), a drama film from Ryan Fleck, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Ryan Gosling take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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