United States of Leland

Pros: Gosling, Cheadle, script
Cons: Some unnecessary bits of teen angst

Why do people only say that when they do something wrong? No one ever says “I’m only human” after they pull a kid out of a burning building. How horrifying it is when a child commits a terrible act of violence. Our instinct is to search for ...

Pros: multi-layered characters, Ryan Gosling
Cons: none for me

Trying to delve inside the human mind is a common thread in movies, particularly those dealing with murder suspects. It seemed like everyone, including Leland, had to question ‘Why?’ in The United States of Leland. Whether or not that ...

Pros: Ryan Gosling; ensemble cast
Cons: Didactic to the extreme; "21 Grams" for morons

THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND opens with a sunny, sylvan shot of grass in an idyllic park. The comforting visual is gently skewed by hazy, almost blurred photography, as if produced by the dreamy confines of memory. Voice over by principal character is ...

Pros: Actors cast for the movie fit each role perfectly.
Cons: Some might not wait for the film to pan out.

Often times there comes a time in which even the most innocent can become entangled in a net of misdeeds that they simply should not get caught in. When a youth finds themselves involved in a crime, the thought that is often associated with the entire ...

Pros: The direction and story were both done very well.
Cons: Too many characters.

Leland Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling) is a guy who has had it with life. He is a rather happy guy, carefree, and feeling in tune with the world. One day things change for him and he begins to see the world in a cold, angry way. He begins to see the sad things ...

Pros: Gosling, premise, soundtrack
Cons: mediocre camerawork, direction lacked bite

During its film festival circuit last year, ‘The United States of Leland’ was often compared to ‘Donnie Darko’ which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and has become a cult favorite with its whimsical analysis of life and existence, sweetened with its witty doses of ...

Pros: Ryan Gosling, Acting, cinematography, Hoge's, the explanation to "why Leland"
Cons: Chris Klein, Lack of Kevin Spacey, pacing

Before I begin my review of The United States of Leland, I first want to make a confession that I haven't wrote a review in over 3 years. But saying this, once I attended the movie The United States of Leland, I came directly back to my college ...