Fresh
An intriguing movie about how badly we really want to know the unknowable, what makes kids kill other kids.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
The United States of Leland
Crime. Confusion. Compassion. They're all just states of mind.
2003 · 1h 48m · R
Crime, Drama
Directed by
Matthew Ryan Hoge
Free account saves your watchlist and ratings.
The United States of Leland
Overview
A withdrawn young man, Leland Fitzgerald is imprisoned for the murder of a mentally disabled boy, who also happened to be the brother of his girlfriend, Becky. As the community struggles to deal with the killing, Pearl Madison, a teacher at the prison, decides to write about Leland's case. Meanwhile, others affected by the murder, including Becky and her sister, Julie, must contend with their own problems.
Director and cast
- Matthew Ryan Hoge Director
- Don Cheadle as Pearl Madison
- Ryan Gosling as Leland P. Fitzgerald
- Chris Klein as Allen Harris
- Kevin Spacey as Albert T. Fitzgerald
- Jena Malone as Becky Pollard
- Lena Olin as Marybeth Fitzgerald
- Michelle Williams as Julie Pollard
- Martin Donovan as Harry Pollard
- Ann Magnuson as Karen Pollard
- Kerry Washington as Ayesha
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
33%
Tomatometer
Rotten
Isn't it sad that a boy like this could feel so lost that he had to kill someone? Well, maybe. But isn't it sadder that someone's dead?
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
Rotten
It's neither an insightful nor well-made film.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Rotten
[Hoge] spends an awful lot of time trying to get us to understand Leland and almost none trying to get us to understand his victim.
Mike Ervin, Chicago Reader
Rotten
Besides being puffed up with its importance, it's also inert and totally implausible -- one of those movies where nobody behaves in a way that seems remotely human.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
More films
Half Nelson (2006)
Drama · R
Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a startling discovery of his secret life, causing a tenuous bond between the two that could eith...
- Runtime
- 1h 47m
- Director
- Ryan Fleck
- Cast
- Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie
IMDb
7.2
Rotten Tomatoes
91%
Metacritic
85
The Four Robinsons (1939)
Comedy · N/A
Four friends pretend a cruise to escape their wives and go clubbing, but they are forced to go through face-saving shipwreck, becoming castaways.
- Runtime
- 1h 38m
- Director
- Eduardo García Maroto
- Cast
- Antonio Vico, Mary Santpere, Fernando Rey
IMDb
5.8
La mantilla de Beatriz (1946)
Drama · Romance · N/A
In XVII century Portugal two friends change identities so one of them can escape an unwanted marriage to Beatriz.
- Runtime
- 1h 27m
- Director
- Eduardo García Maroto
- Cast
- Virgílio Teixeira, Margarita Andrey, María Isbert
Comments
Talk about the film with other members