X
- 2004
- R
- Paramount Classics
- 1 h 48 m
- 2004
- R
- Paramount Classics
- 1 h 48 m
Summary 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)
Directed By: Matthew Ryan Hoge
Written By: Matthew Ryan Hoge
- 2004
- R
- Paramount Classics
- 1 h 48 m
- 2004
- R
- Paramount Classics
- 1 h 48 m
The United States of Leland
37
7.0
Where to Watch
Summary 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)
Directed By: Matthew Ryan Hoge
Written By: Matthew Ryan Hoge
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 27 Critic Reviews
37
11% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
52% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
37% Negative
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 27 Critic Reviews
37
11% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
52% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
37% Negative
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
A compelling, exquisitely acted drama about the shock waves emanating from -- and toward -- a single act of almost inexplicable violence.
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.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 24 User Ratings
7.0
58% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
33% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
8% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 24 User Ratings
7.0
58% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
33% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
8% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
I saw this movie when it first came out, I thought it was great. So many talented actors, good plot and with just the right amount of drama and suspense. It is a drama, but I was so intrigued to know the reasoning behind Gosling's character Leland's life changing action when it seemed so unbelievably **** the outcome was in a strange way understandable and that made me enjoy this movie so much. Although, I am very disappointed that the writer/director Matthew Ryan Hoge has not put another amazing movie like this one out since. I hope he does because I truly believe this was an extremely underrated piece of work. Wonderful job Matthew R. Hoge!!
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Ryan Gosling is drawn to flawed characters; Believer, Fracture, the Slaughter Rule, Lars and the Real Girl, Stay, all these movies portray a flawed character but one that the audience can sympathize with U.S. of Leland is no different a very thought provoking movie, with quality acting, and an excellent original soundtrack by Jeremy Enigk of Sunny Day Real Estate. Outside of the story and acting there are no other exceptional film making characteristics.
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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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Ryan Gosling stars in what many consider to be his breakout role, playing a modern day Holden Caufield, who has committed a heinous crime. While the story has some tremendous performances, it really lacks any substance, rehashing the events of the past week, over and over again. We know right from the beginning of the film, that Leland killed a **** boy, what we don't know is why. The focus of the film is discovering what lead this highly intelligent, son of a celebrity, to commit such an act. The film has a huge cast of celebrities, that include Don Cheadle, Kevin Spacey, Chris Klein, and Michelle Williams, all of whom are as good as you would expect. What the film has in talent, it lacks in substance, as it's really just a whole lot of Leland talking in code. The writers go out of their way to show Leland as this deep, emotionless kid, that's been trapped inside his own mind his entire life. As the film goes on, the more Leland opens up. The writers paint the portrait of this kid and show you ever aspect of his life, in the hopes that you will figure out his true motivation before it comes out. The result is a slow moving film that causes the audience to gradually lose interest as time goes on. There is no doubt the Ryan Gosling was spectacular and deserves every good thing said about his performance, but the story seems to move slowly and in circles. The writers made it much more in depth than it had to be and most audiences will be turned off by it.
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Production Company
MDP Worldwide,
Media 8 Entertainment,
Thousand Words,
Trigger Street Productions
Release Date Apr 2, 2004
Duration 1 h 48 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline Crime. Confusion. Compassion. They're all just states of mind.
Awards
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Deauville Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
