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United States of Leland, The
Paramount Classics


6.9

based on 27 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 17 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: R for language and some drug content

Starring Don Cheadle, Ryan Gosling, Chris Klein, Jena Malone, Lena Olin, Kevin Spacey, Michelle Williams, and Martin Donovan

On an ordinary school day in California, a seemingly ordinary student named Leland Fitzgerald (Gosling) commits a devastating, inexplicable crime...and changes everything forever...not only for Leland but his family, friends and the teacher who becomes obsessed with trying to figure out why. (Paramount Classics)

GENRE(S):	Crime \| Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Matthew Ryan Hoge
DIRECTED BY:	Matthew Ryan Hoge
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: September 7, 2004 Video: September 7, 2004 Theatrical: April 2, 2004
RUNNING TIME:	105 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

Nominated, Grand Jury Prize, 2003 Sundance Film Festival

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Film Threat Eric Campos

Thoroughly entertaining and will possibly get you thinking about certain choices you've made in your life.

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

A compelling, exquisitely acted drama about the shock waves emanating from -- and toward -- a single act of almost inexplicable violence.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

A tale of disaffection, devastation and epiphanies of the catastrophic kind.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

A complex and often compelling melodrama, at times almost verging on soap opera.

LA Weekly Chuck Wilson

Only Chris Klein, as the lovesick live-in boyfriend of Becky's sister, is given anything like an active emotional arc to play, and he runs with it so beautifully that he steals the movie.

Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder

In his thoughtfully paced, well-acted film, Hoge doesn't set out to solve the "why" of Leland's ghastly crime. He's more interested in examining the reason why society needs to create and interpret a reason for horror.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The screenplay aims high in terms of humanity and complexity, but director Hoge drains it of energy with listless meanderings that provide more yawns than insights.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

I believe it is as cruel and senseless as the killings in "Elephant," but while that film was chillingly objective, this one seems to be on everybody's side. It's a moral muddle.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

The finished film, while competently acted and staged, has missed the high mark Spacey set for it. It's self-important, tedious and ultimately pointless, with absolutely none of the sardonic wit that remains the most memorable feature of "American Beauty."

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Hoge's film raises more questions than it answers – that's his point, I think, to get us thinking – and Gosling, who previously played the conflicted Jewish Nazi skinhead in "The Believer," inhabits the role of Leland so fully it's as if the character had killed him as well.

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

The result is a frustrating and disturbing mishmash of vague philosophical noodling, which even the best-chosen cast can't imbue with zip.

Empire Anna Smith

It's poetic, hypnotic and well-performed, but fails to either draw out its characters with conviction or fully draw its audience in.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

The characters' undiluted self-interest will seem one-dimensional to all but the worst cynics.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Fatuous twaddle posing as a REALLY DEEP consideration of what's wrong with our crazy, mixed-up world, Matthew Ryan Hoge's slick but deeply dumb film unfolds in a picture-perfect suburb of Anywheresville, USA.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

An ambitious and intelligent film probing that chronic contemporary phenomenon, the seemingly senseless crime, but it is ultimately unsatisfying for all its efforts and various pluses.

Variety David Rooney

Hoge shows no particular directorial style, bringing a bland, anonymous look to the generic Southern California suburban locations.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray

Hoge, who scripted and directed The United States Of Leland, caters to his cast too much. He gives almost every character a way-too-involved subplot, which distracts from the heart of his story.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

There's a reason filmmaking is considered a craft, and Hoge, a former teacher in a juvenile prison, cannot pull off what would be a tricky proposition for a skilled veteran.

Premiere Peter Debruge

Absence of motive makes the movie provocative; the explanation renders it irrelevant and defuses any interesting debate the film might have inspired.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

The United States of Leland has a resonance of "Elephant" without the visual poetry or structural sophistication, or "American Beauty" without the leavening comedy, but it's neither an insightful nor well-made film.

Dallas Observer Melissa Levine

It's flapping its wings so desperately in pursuit of artistic heights that it nosedives directly into the ground. The relentless exertion makes the film a chore to watch.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

There's something secondhand about everything here. Hoge (this is his debut) seems to be mimicking the tone and fabric of other, better indie movies.

Village Voice Dennis Lim

The movie's idiotic fascination with the senselessness of its central act is scarily close to a fetish.

The New York Times Dana Stevens

The real question raised by The United States of Leland is not why, but how. How, that is, did so many talented actors find their way to this dreary and derivative study in suburban dysfunction?

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The United States of Leland is tedious yet infuriating, since its characters, all of whom seem to have emerged from a screenwriter's manual, are like exhibits in a thesis meant to indict the middle class for the crime of its collective dysfunction.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

This bomb, which premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival, belongs in the same remainder bin as Spacey's "Pay It Forward," "K-Pax" and "The Life of David Gale."

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

As bad as its title.

The average user rating for this movie is 6.9 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Miguel G. gave it a3:
The film does not tell anything, does not have any insight in any particular issue and it definitely has no complexity. Nothing to save apart of Kevin Sapcy's acting.

Andrew D. gave it a10:
Absolutly fantastic film....will make you think

HollyC. gave it a5:
I understand the bad reviews of this film, as the dialogue, various outskirt characters and plot points fell apart. This film feels very writerly--like a good short story or novel (indeed, writer themes/characters are everywhere)--but it was ultimately adapted very poorly into a motion picture. Regardless of these problems, I do find that Ryan Gosling and Don Cheadle did remarkably well. The moral debate going on in this film--while engaging, is quite sophmoric in the end, which is too bad. The comparison one user review made to Donnie Darko, I think, is a bit generous as Darko was very well written, acted and directed. This film had some great actors--the direction was ok but the writing and plot devices fell through. The story, in the end, did seem muddled--and possibly better looking on paper then screen.

Larry J gave it an8:
[***SPOILERS***] Professional critics, for the most part, missed the point of this movie. Why did Leland do it? In the first part of the movie we are led to think that there might have been a motivation akin to what we might find in Camus' "The Stranger": I just wanted to see what it'd feel like. However, as the movie progresses, and we are given more insight into Leland's psyche, we discover that he is deeply troubled. His perceptions of the world as full to the brim of profound sadness reveal his inadequate grasp of reality. His comiseration with some of the afflicted is what leads him to do it. Leland's killing is a mercy killing. He took himself to be helping, not hurting. When Leland perceives the kid eyeing a woman, Leland knows that the desire will go forever unsatisfied. When Leland sees the kid trying to ride through the tree, he sees that though the kid may want to progress, there are obstacles that will never allow it. Leland commits a mercy killing. Has he done something wrong? Of course. Does he deserve our pity? Yes. Have any critics who panned this movie understood it's subtle take on the complexity of desire and motivation? No!

elizabeth m gave it an8:
This was a great movie! Yeah a little confusing, but still really great. And so was Ryan Gosling in this movie. USL was also a learning experience!

Kuo T. gave it an8:
The United States of Leland is, at the very least, full of talented actors that made their characters come to life, especially Leland. Other characters, even with brief parts, are well-developed. The movie raised many questions but did not provide answers for them. It does get you think about life in a different way. There are some memorable scenes in the movie that I can definite replay again and again.

Robert A gave it a3:
Well, i really wanted to like this film. But, it just isn't good. Written like a bad book.

United States of Leland, The Paramount Classics

United States of Leland, The
Paramount Classics