Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

jfarms1956 I believe that is movie is for those 13 and older. At first I thought the movie was going to be rather dull. After the first 10 minutes or so of the film, I found myself drawn in. My mother always told me that a coin has two sides and here you get to know and understand Leland. The lines of good and bad are mixed into shades of gray. The movie is more thought provoking than entertaining. If you want to be entertained, The United States Of Leland is not for you. However, if you happen to be in the "contemplation of life" mentality, this movie may give you some comfort, sort of a Catcher In the Rye film. Not a classic, but OK. No popcorn here. I give it four thumbs up.

adrianedler Disclaimer:After reading many positive reviews, I noticed that many people really liked this movie. I might not have liked it as much because I saw it in German, and missed some of the intricacies of the dialog. (Because I am a native English speaker.) But that being the case, this review reflects what I think about this movie.Great movies can be divided up into two categories, potentially. The first are encouraging movies. They might encourage us to do is to realize our true potential, like The Return of the King, with Aragorn becoming what he was meant to be. Other great movies have themes which could give us some kind of hope, to laugh in face of adversity, or to see something from another perspective. Great movies like these, such as It's a Wonderful Life, speak out about the value of life and of every individual, ring true in everyone's hearts. These are the movies which help us to face life. And then the second class of great or good movies, are ones that may not be so profound, but distract us from the seeming futility of our lives, without perhaps such a deep theme, but with a lot of entertainment value. Movies like James Bond, which for a couple of hours, spirit us away into a fantasy world of superwomen, super-cars, super-spies, and super villains. Die Hard is another one like this. This is commonly classified as escapism. But this movie is neither escapist nor encouraging. It is also not a thriller, in the true sense. Rather it seeks so replace hope with despair, causing us to focus upon the pointlessness of life, and give excuses for someone taking the role of God. These kinds of seed thoughts could encourage murder, if dwelled upon, and taken to their logical conclusion; it leads us to think that pity is sufficient grounds for murder, and that we should admire someone who murders when they did it because they felt sorry for someone. Of course this sounds sick, and it should. But this is honestly what the movie portrayed. And the fact that it is not portrayed with a cold cynicism is what makes it the scariest. It is not the only one of its kind, but the moral vacuum in which the movie is played is the same as a horror movie, but with less blood. Basically, the word justice is put into the furthest corner, away from view, and the word Despair, Pointlessness, Meaninglessness, Lostness, Fear, Doom, and Disappointment are projected in the front, making the question we are supposed to ask painfully clear, "What is wrong with doing something wrong if I feel that it is right? And if I feel that it is right, doesn't the pointless nature of life make that which I feel right, ruling out all sense of right and wrong?" In other words, "Because life has no meaning either way, does it matter really what I do, as long as it has a meaning to me?" The obvious counter to this reasoning is also shown in the movie. The pain which going with my urges may inflict others is made apparent in the parallel story of Pearl and his girlfriend, as though it were not clear enough in the grief of the victim's family. Perhaps this element was kept intact, in order not to downplay the consequences of the murder too much. But this thought that my actions actually do have a meaning, and that there is a right and wrong, despite of my feelings or urges does not seem to be the dominant theme of the movie. If one does not think too much about it, one is left with a pretty neutral attitude towards murder, thinking that maybe he even did the "right thing."If nothing else, the movie allows people to reflect upon the impulsive nature of crimes, with misguided motives, combined later with the horrible pain that they can cause others, as well as the guilt for those who commit them. But I had to really think about it to come with this conclusion. It might have been just a depressing movie about a boy who murdered his neighbor because he was so stinking depressed himself that it just didn't matter. And that is pretty disgusting.

reneweddan Being a fan of Ryan Gosling's work (The Notebook, Half-Nelson, Lars and the Real Girl...) I had to view this film. I believe this film is under-appreciated. Hopefully more will be enticed to view the excellence that surrounds this film, from its all-star cast to the very meaning of the film.The story revolves around the murder of a mentally challenged kid who happens to have a rather large family. The murderer understands others want to know one thing, "why?", and he shares his story to his teacher in jail. The story also involves the remorse both families go through, particularly the victim's family.The film is enjoyable, unique, but dark. It sort of reminded me of the Donnie Darko atmosphere, where the main character is apathetic. The film works together perfectly, but it is a bit tedious at times, which elevated my appreciation of the film.The only part I was completely confused about was when Leland received a pencil and a book... a pencil to a murderer who stabbed the victim... (No this isn't a spoiler, this is the very basis of the film) Altogether, this film works, it's something that should not be overlooked.Don Cheadle, Ryan Gosling, Chris Klein, Jena Malone, Lena Olin, Kevin Spacey, Michelle Williams, Martin Donovan... must I go on? Look at that awesome cast... all acted well, but in particular, Ryan Gosling and Chris Klein.Enjoy this film for what it is, and enjoy the darkness, but keep in mind the message isn't to do dark things, it simply explains why dark events occur. Appreciate the message, whether you're a pessimist or an optimist, you'll enjoy it.

BernardoLima The United States of Leland is about a meek teenage boy named Leland P. Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling) who has inexplicably committed a shocking murder. In the wake of the killing, his teacher in prison (Don Cheadle) tries to understand the senseless crime, while the families of the victim and the perpetrator struggle to cope with the aftermath..I just watched The United States of Leland for the second time and it is an outstanding piece of work and it's close to being one of my favorite films of all time. Why it was so poorly received by critics is beyond me because I think it's a good example of great film-making in all accounts. The backdrop of the film is the crime that Leland committed and from then on, the film becomes a character study giving us insight into Leland and also showing the viewer what happened prior to the murder trough flashbacks. But, despite being a character study, the film does so much more then that; it poses very interesting questions about good and evil, about life, about our nature and humanity and so forth. The film was beautifully shot and the soundtrack couldn't be more suiting. These two things combined with an impeccable direction resulted in a great ambiance. The acting was absolutely fantastic with the exceptionally talented Ryan Gosling delivering an Oscar-worthy performance. The entire supporting cast did a good job but if someone hold its own with Gosling, that was Jena Malone. I was very, very impressed with her.This is not a happy film, it's sad and melancholic and that will push some people away. Maybe you have to have gone trough depression or extreme sadness to relate to the film, that would explain why some people just can't connect with this story, I don't know. Either way, I think this is a truly amazing film and I hope Matthew Ryan Hoge returns to the business at some point.9.5/10