The United States of Leland
The United States of Leland | |
---|---|
Jeff Betancourt | |
Music by | Jeremy Enigk |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $343,847 (US)[2] |
The United States of Leland is a 2003 American drama film written and directed by Matthew Ryan Hoge that follows a meek teenage boy, the eponymous Leland, who has inexplicably committed a shocking murder. In the wake of the killing, his teacher in prison tries to understand the senseless crime, while the families of the victim and the perpetrator struggle to cope with the aftermath.
Plot
The film begins with a flashback narrated by Leland P. Fitzgerald, describing how he could not remember the details of the day that he killed an intellectually disabled boy named Ryan Pollard. Leland is arrested. Ryan's parents, Harry and Karen, sisters Becky and Julie, and Julie's live-in boyfriend Allen grieve the loss of their loved one. Leland's divorced mother, Marybeth, is desperate to see her son, while his father, famous writer Albert Fitzgerald, discovers his son's fate in a newspaper and returns home for the trial.
While in
Through his discussions with Pearl, Leland reveals childhood memories such as his grandmother's funeral and traveling long distances to visit his father. One time, he decided to stay in
Pearl covertly arranges a meeting with Leland's father at his hotel. After he asks for more information on his family's past, Albert realizes Pearl is researching for his book and refuses to let his son be exploited. He tells the prison supervisor about Pearl's prohibited meetings with Leland, leading Pearl to be reassigned to another section of the prison.
Leland discovers through Allen that Becky had an affair with a
Pearl begins to realize the implications of his sexual indiscretion through his discussions with Leland and admits his own failings. Eventually, his girlfriend discovers his tryst, and they fight over the phone. Meanwhile, Julie decides to break up with Allen and does not want to go to college with him. Brokenhearted, he holds up an
Pearl flies to LA to reconcile with his girlfriend and reads Leland's final entries in his journal. On one of his return trips to New York, Leland had discovered that Mrs. Calderon had divorced her husband and that the spark for life that she had before was gone; it is implied Leland and Mrs. Calderon had slept together. Afterwards, Leland writes, he begins noticing a sadness in everyone around him, driving him into a deep
Cast
- Ryan Gosling as Leland P. Fitzgerald
- Ryan Malgarini as 6-year-old Leland
- Alec Medlock as 12-year-old Leland
- Don Cheadle as Pearl Madison
- Chris Klein as Allen Harris
- Jena Malone as Becky Pollard
- Lena Olin as Marybeth Fitzgerald
- Kevin Spacey as Albert T. Fitzgerald
- Sherilyn Fenn as Angela Calderon
- Michelle Williams as Julie Pollard
- Martin Donovan as Harry Pollard
- Ann Magnuson as Karen Pollard
- Michael Welch as Ryan Pollard
- Matt Malloy as Charlie
- Kerry Washington as Ayesha
- Michael Peña as Guillermo
- Wesley Jonathan as Bengel
- Troy Winbush as Dave
- Ron Canada as Elden
- Clyde Kusatsu as Judge
Production
Of his decision to do the film, Ryan Gosling said, "I wanted to do [the movie] so badly because I felt like Leland was so different. It's this kind of character that's not in movies very often – characters that are emotionally disconnected for the whole film – so it's a tricky thing to tap into."[3]
Reception
On
Roger Ebert, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, declared the film a "moral muddle".[6] Writing for Variety, David Rooney wrote, "Laboring against characters that spout artificial, platitudinous dialogue, the cast invites little sympathy. Gosling’s one-note, blankly disturbed act has none of the magnetic edge of his breakthrough work in 'The Believer,' while the intriguing ambiguity of Cheadle’s character could have been far more interestingly explored."[7] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly called the film "yet another joylessly trendy indie portrait of the dark side of suburbia."[8]
References
- ^ "The United States of Leland (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 2005-06-02. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
- ^ "The United States of Leland (2003) - Box office". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
- ^ Gilchrist, Todd (April 2, 2004). "Interview: Matthew Ryan Hoge & Ryan Gosling". IGN. Archived from the original on November 17, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- ^ The United States of Leland at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ "The United States of Leland". Metacritic.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (April 2, 2004). "The United States of Leland review". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ Rooney, David (January 20, 2003). "The United States of Leland". Variety. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (March 31, 2004). "The United States of Leland". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 October 2022.