The United States of Leland (2003)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Matthew Ryan Hoge

Writer (WGA):

Matthew Ryan Hoge (written by)

Release Date:

1 July 2005 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Tagline:

Crime. Confusion. Compassion. They're all just states of mind.

Plot:

"The United States of Leland" tells the story of a young man's experience in a juvenile detention center that touches on the tumultuous changes that befall his family and the community in which he lives.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Prison | Stabbing | Aspiring Writer | Cheating On Girlfriend

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Don Cheadle	...	Pearl Madison
Ryan Gosling	...	Leland P. Fitzgerald
Chris Klein	...	Allen Harris
Jena Malone	...	Becky Pollard
Lena Olin	...	Marybeth Fitzgerald
Kevin Spacey	...	Albert T. Fitzgerald
Michelle Williams	...	Julie Pollard
Martin Donovan	...	Harry Pollard
Ann Magnuson	...	Karen Pollard
Kerry Washington	...	Ayesha
Sherilyn Fenn	...	Mrs. Calderon
Matt Malloy	...	Charlie
Wesley Jonathan	...	Bengel
Michael Peña	...	Guillermo
Michael Welch	...	Ryan Pollard

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some drug content.

Runtime:

108 min | Canada:104 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Brazil:14 | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Australia:M | Canada:14A | USA:R | Argentina:13 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

MDP Worldwide

Goofs:

Factual errors: In this movie, set in Arizona, all the cars shown have front and back license plates. However, in Arizona you are only issued two license plates if you have a personalized plate which none of the cars in the movie had.

Quotes:

Bengel: You're the one who killed the retarded kid, huh? Was it some kind of devil worship thing?
[pauses]
Bengel: What did you do to your hand?
Leland: I stabbed myself
Bengel: If you're going for suicide, I'd say try for the stomach or somethin'
Leland: I just wanted to know what it felt like
Bengel: I bet it hurt. You should've just asked me devil boy. I would have saved you some trouble

Movie Connections:

References The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Soundtrack:

L' Apertif

The critics failed to grasp the meaning of this one

I was looking at the external reviews (Ebert, etc.) for this film and they were all pretty much negative. However, after reading many of them, I noticed that they all made the same point. Critics were upset that the film centers around what appears to be a senseless murder of an autistic child. Certainly, this is a disturbing image. Critics like Ebert want a traditional detective story that uncovers why the killing happened and squarely places blame on the guilty. They want blame to be cast and resolved. Well, that status-quo theme is kind of what the movie is parodying. Just like society, the critics wanted a very quick resolution so they could move on to their next tragic opera. Perhaps there is no simple question to be answered here? There is a whole lot more to what happened then what is on the surface. The film does not seek to rationalize what happens, but rather understand the why. What also steams me so much about these inane reviews is that all they look at in the way of performances is Spacey and Cheadle, who were both great (and generally are). But there are other great performances at work here other than just the two current icons of Hollywood. Gosling gives an incredible performance that really only somebody of his extreme talent could deliver. Somehow, Gosling is able to make the killer of an autistic child sympathetic. This irritates many, I am sure. However, if one watches the film, they see what Leeland's motivation is, it is wrong, but it is not evil. Malone is also on top of her game as yet another confused young character. Basically, the killing of the child in this film is not the main theme of the movie. The main theme is life itself and how people go about dealing with it, the highs and lows, and how they attempt to sometimes help others deal with their lives (which does not seem to work out very well). There is a lot of good and bad in this world and how we handle each has direct impact on how much more good and bad will take place, and sometimes a confused attempt at doing good, can lead to a whole bunch more of bad. I think this is one of the more memorable films in sometime and has an ending that is as touching as anything in recent movie history. I strongly believe people should view this film, with an open mind.