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The United States of Leland

Play trailer Poster for The United States of Leland R 2003 1h 48m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
33% Tomatometer 91 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A withdrawn young man, Leland Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling) is imprisoned for the murder of a mentally disabled boy, who also happened to be the brother of his girlfriend, Becky (Jena Malone). As the community struggles to deal with the killing, Pearl Madison (Don Cheadle), a teacher at the prison, decides to write about Leland's case. Meanwhile, others affected by the murder, including Becky and her sister, Julie (Michelle Williams), must contend with their own problems.
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The United States of Leland

The United States of Leland

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Critics Consensus

The United States of Leland has its moments, but they're undermined by a muddled plot, unsympathetic characters, and frustratingly uneven performances.

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Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 06/29/2022
The characters’ undiluted self-interest will seem one-dimensional to all but the worst cynics. Go to Full Review
Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/29/2010
3/5
Uneven drama that's too intense for kids. Go to Full Review
Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle 04/18/2004
2.5/5
People under 30 or those of a youthful mindset may see cracked reflections of their own lives in this morally intricate tale, but I can't help but think those of previous generations will wonder what all the fuss is about. Go to Full Review
Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens 11/03/2019
Written and directed by Matthew Ryan Hoge, the script is not only profound, but incredibly tight, nuanced with subtleties and sub-plots that intersect and come together at all the right moments. Go to Full Review
Paul Dale The List 04/24/2019
3/5
First time writer/director Matthew Ryan Hoge's multi-layered ensemble drama is both deeply ambitious and a total mess. Go to Full Review
Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com 05/04/2009
B-
"The United States Of Leland" deftly points out dilemmas in current American ideology that frequently escalate into tragedy. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Dani G Aug 25 It feels funny to see all of those people so young... Some of them I didn't even recognize them at first!! See more Drew F Aug 13 Movie runs extremely slow. But also does a good job of keeping you invested in the characters and story. I’m more of a thriller/horror kind of guy but if you enjoy dialogue heavy movies. This could be a good one time watch. See more Frans B @FransB May 5 Hoge did good here.Intricate, intertwined and thought provoking movie in which you have to pay attention. Cast do great in character, Gosling always impress me. Tightly woven and very cleverly written in true Indie tradition. Grapples with some pretty serious issues and unpredictable human behavior. Will not entertain lots of people but it sure does have impact. Different strokes for different blokes indeed, I liked it. Must see See more Griffith J @griffithxjohnson Apr 25 A sad & provoking look at morality & worldviews. The screenplay builds strong layers to the characters but it feels wrong to feel sympathy for evildoers. The tone fits very well with thoughtful pacing. See more mark g @Mark_Alan_G. Jan 10 Completely baffled by the negative reviews. This is a great film. Incredible performances, especially from Gosling and Klein. Not a "feel good" movie, but one with captivating performances. See more samuel l 08/25/2021 Completely implausible, riddled with pointless subplots that went nowhere, full of pretentious, whiny dialogue, unnecessarily long, and rather ugly to look at. The plot was predictable and beyond a mess, with the writing not explaining much of anything and instead being all philosophical as if the main character was some sort of undiscovered prodigy. The reason why the main character killed the boy was never given, the main character was treated normally throughout his life despite him acting rather strangely and probably having some sort of condition, the main character's dad was barely given any screen time, the teacher's affair was irrelevant, the girl getting into heroin and doing it at home was silly, the drug dealer relationship was never explained, the girl's dad almost shooting the main character was stupid, the sister's boyfriend deciding to rob a store so he could get into the juvenile prison was laughable, and so on. There were far too many irrelevant events and unneeded, unlikeable characters. There wasn't a single likeable character. To make matters worse, the runtime was drawn out, the acting was average, there was no emotion, the cinematography and visual effects were bland, and the soundtrack was just a collection of inappropriately toned existing songs. See more Read all reviews
The United States of Leland

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The United States of Leland

The United States of Leland: Official Clip - Getting Clean The United States of Leland: Official Clip - Getting Clean 2:06 The United States of Leland: Official Clip - Only Human The United States of Leland: Official Clip - Only Human 1:10 The United States of Leland: Official Clip - Something That Happened The United States of Leland: Official Clip - Something That Happened 1:22 The United States of Leland: Official Clip - None of Your Concern The United States of Leland: Official Clip - None of Your Concern 1:22 The United States of Leland: Official Clip - All of Their Sadness The United States of Leland: Official Clip - All of Their Sadness 1:23 The United States of Leland: Official Clip - The Most Important Stuff The United States of Leland: Official Clip - The Most Important Stuff 1:38 The United States of Leland: Official Clip - Earl the Pearl The United States of Leland: Official Clip - Earl the Pearl 1:45 The United States of Leland: Official Clip - Lazy Angels The United States of Leland: Official Clip - Lazy Angels 2:04 The United States of Leland: Official Clip - First Day of Class The United States of Leland: Official Clip - First Day of Class 1:51 The United States of Leland: Official Clip - Aren't You an Actor? The United States of Leland: Official Clip - Aren't You an Actor? 1:05 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis A withdrawn young man, Leland Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling) is imprisoned for the murder of a mentally disabled boy, who also happened to be the brother of his girlfriend, Becky (Jena Malone). As the community struggles to deal with the killing, Pearl Madison (Don Cheadle), a teacher at the prison, decides to write about Leland's case. Meanwhile, others affected by the murder, including Becky and her sister, Julie (Michelle Williams), must contend with their own problems.
Director
Matthew Ryan Hoge
Producer
Bernie Morris, Jonah Smith, Kevin Spacey, Palmer West
Screenwriter
Matthew Ryan Hoge
Distributor
Paramount Pictures, Leland Productions Inc., MDP Worldwide
Production Co
MDP Worldwide, Trigger Street Productions, Thousand Words
Rating
R (Some Drug Content|Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 18, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$343.8K
Runtime
1h 48m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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