The United States of Leland (2003)

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.

Director:

Matthew Ryan Hoge

Writer:

Matthew Ryan Hoge

Stars:

Ryan Gosling, Don Cheadle, Kevin Spacey

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

As a detached kid spends time in juvenile hall for the unspeakable murder of a special needs kid, a writer and the people around him try to comprehend and cope with his reasoning for commiting this murder from the writings in a classroom book from his juvenile class, where he tries to let people know "the why".

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Plot Keywords:

boy | book | writer | teacher | author | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some drug content

Did You Know?

Trivia

The is the first time Ryan Gosling and Michael Peña have worked together. They reunited ten years later on the film Gangster Squad (2013).

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Leland: When I say I don't remember that day, I'm not lying. Wish I did, but I just don't. Sometimes the most important stuff goes away. Goes away so bad, it's like it was never there to begin with. It's funny the stuff that sticks in your head. I could tell you forward and backward about one day when I was five, and my dad bought me a stupid ice cream cone. I could tell you the flavor of the ice cream. It was pick bubblegum. Even stuff about the girl who scooped it out. Her hair was fire ...

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Connections

Featured in Anatomy of a Scene: The United States of Leland (2004)

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Soundtracks

The Recluse
Written by Even Johansen
Performed by Magnet
Published by Universal Music Publishing Ltd.
Administered by Universal-Polygram
International Publishing, Inc. (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Rec 90 Norway

User Reviews

Inspiring movie...

Don't let any reviews (critics, IMDb users or mine) influence you seeing this movie. I read only the plot premise and became intrigued. After watching, this movie, in my opinion, is definitely worth seeing. It gives a perspective on life that many have probably not contemplated. Its is not however, as Leland himself says, a movie that "can be wrapped up in a neat package with a bow and everything." Other user reviews on this website claim to have a psychological background and imply that the story is not feasible. Quite obviously they missed the entire point of the movie, which is disappointing. to say the least.

In short, it is a well acted, well directed movie. The story is not a feel good one, but I feel if you don't come away from the movie feeling good, you may just have missed something. To characterize it as "art house" is unfair, in my opinion, but as our society likes labels, this is probably the one that fits. If you find you know everything there is to know about the world... I'd suggest skipping this one. If you feel movies should be a form of escape "from the world"... you won't find it here. But if you do watch it... you just might find something in yourself.

Details

Official Sites:

Media 8 Entertainment Paramount Classics

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 2005 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The United States of Leland

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$48,384, 4 April 2004

Gross USA:

$343,847

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$343,847

Company Credits

Production Co:

MDP Worldwide, Media 8 Entertainment, Thousand Words

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 104 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1