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The United States of Leland

Play trailer Poster for The United States of Leland R Released Jan 18, 2003 1h 48m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
34% Tomatometer 92 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A withdrawn young man, Leland Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling) is imprisoned for the murder of a mentally disabled boy, who also happened to be the brother of his girlfriend,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

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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 The characters’ undiluted self-interest will seem one-dimensional to all but the worst cynics. Jun 29, 2022 Full Review Wesley Morris Boston Globe Rated: 1/4 Nov 24, 2011 Full Review Nell Minow Common Sense Media Uneven drama that's too intense for kids. Rated: 3/5 Dec 29, 2010 Full Review Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens 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. Nov 3, 2019 Full Review Paul Dale The List First time writer/director Matthew Ryan Hoge's multi-layered ensemble drama is both deeply ambitious and a total mess. Rated: 3/5 Apr 24, 2019 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com "The United States Of Leland" deftly points out dilemmas in current American ideology that frequently escalate into tragedy. Rated: B- May 4, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Griffith J 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. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/25/25 Full Review mark g 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. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/10/25 Full Review decadepast d Very dark film with an incredible soundtrack. The subject matter of the can be more than some people can handle but if you're in the mood for something dark and beautiful I'd highly recommend this film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/05/23 Full Review samuel l 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. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Pure grunge. A poorly justificated act serves as a excuse to explore a group of characters. Although good actors and a classic-tone of indie movie in the 90s, that is not enough to recommend it. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member very interesting and moving Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The United States of Leland

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Cast & Crew

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Matthew Ryan Hoge

Director

Don Cheadle

Pearl Madison

Ryan Gosling

Leland P. Fitzgerald

Chris Klein

Allen Harris

Jena Malone

Becky Pollard

Lena Olin

Marybeth Fitzgerald

Movie Clips

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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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The United States of Leland

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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
Trigger Street Productions, Thousand Words, MDP Worldwide
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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