348:. He focused on Ryan, who he realized probably wouldn't know true happiness or love in ways other people took for granted. One day, as he walks Ryan home from school, the boy becomes frustrated with an obstacle on the bike path. Leland helps him off his bike, gives him a hug, and whispers in his ear that "everything is going to be okay". Leland wanted to stop the sadness. He could not return the spark to Mrs. Calderon, but he could end the sadness of a boy who was disabled so that people would not look at him like he would never be normal. By killing Ryan, Leland could stop his sadness.
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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
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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
314:
rather than continue on to see his father. After he could not find a hotel, a kindhearted family, the
Calderons, decided to take him in for his stay. He continued to visit the family over the years and was especially captivated by Mrs. Calderon. The two also discuss Leland's history with Becky,
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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,
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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.
303:, Leland is schooled by teacher Pearl Madison, an aspiring writer who is searching for his breakthrough story. Pearl senses something is different about the emotionally detached Leland and helps him circumvent the prison rules so he can keep a journal. While his girlfriend is out of town in
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Of his decision to do the film, Ryan
Gosling said, "I wanted to do 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."
527:, 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 '
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named Kevin who is due to be released from prison. After he gets out of prison, Becky starts to see Kevin again and decides to break up with Leland. He argues with her, but ultimately realizes the futility of changing her mind.
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and allows himself to be arrested in front of Julie. He is sent to the same juvenile hall as Leland, where he steals a knife (from Pearl) and kills Leland as revenge for what he had done to the
Pollard family.
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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
279:. 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.
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Calderon had slept together. Afterwards, Leland writes, he begins noticing a sadness in everyone around him, driving him into a deep
497:, the film has a 34% rating based on reviews from 94 critics, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The site's consensus reads that "
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has its moments, but they're undermined by a muddled plot, unsympathetic characters, and frustratingly uneven performances."
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narrated by Leland P. Fitzgerald, describing how he could not remember the details of the day that he killed an
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509:, assigned the film a score of 37 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.
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533:,' while the intriguing ambiguity of Cheadle’s character could have been far more interestingly explored."
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and began walking home with Ryan and her after school, with Becky and Leland growing to love each other.
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that follows a meek teenage boy, the eponymous Leland, who has inexplicably committed a shocking
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called the film "yet another joylessly trendy indie portrait of the dark side of suburbia."
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leading Pearl to be reassigned to another section of the prison.
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Leland discovers through Allen that Becky had an affair with a
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his son's fate in a newspaper and returns home for the trial.
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521:, declared the film a "moral muddle". Writing for
636:"Interview: Matthew Ryan Hoge & Ryan Gosling"
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933:Films about disability in the United States
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737:from the original on September 11, 2024
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725:"The United States of Leland review"
570:British Board of Film Classification
953:Films about intellectual disability
801:from the original on 6 October 2022
335:him. Brokenhearted, he holds up an
315:Ryan's sister. He had met her at a
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973:English-language independent films
938:Films about dysfunctional families
913:American coming-of-age drama films
756:Rooney, David (January 20, 2003).
370:Alec Medlock as 12-year-old Leland
14:
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634:Gilchrist, Todd (April 2, 2004).
702:from the original on 2022-08-16
616:from the original on 2012-01-29
577:from the original on 2024-09-11
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789:"The United States of Leland"
758:"The United States of Leland"
690:"The United States of Leland"
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898:2000s English-language films
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858:The United States of Leland
847:The United States of Leland
836:The United States of Leland
825:The United States of Leland
667:The United States of Leland
598:The United States of Leland
563:The United States of Leland
499:The United States of Leland
264:The United States of Leland
22:The United States of Leland
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187:January 18, 2003
158:Trigger Street Productions
963:Films shot in Los Angeles
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361:as Leland P. Fitzgerald
271:written and directed by
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402:as Albert T. Fitzgerald
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293:intellectually disabled
287:The film begins with a
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207:April 2, 2004
948:Films about euthanasia
908:2003 independent films
396:as Marybeth Fitzgerald
943:Films about educators
928:American prison films
918:American drama films
893:2000s American films
794:Entertainment Weekly
648:on November 17, 2011
600:(2003) - Box office"
540:Entertainment Weekly
367:as 6-year-old Leland
267:is a 2003 American
958:Films about murder
787:(March 31, 2004).
672:2024-09-11 at the
515:, writing for the
408:as Angela Calderon
173:Paramount Pictures
162:Paramount Classics
16:2003 American film
730:Chicago Sun-Times
723:(April 2, 2004).
518:Chicago Sun-Times
412:Michelle Williams
273:Matthew Ryan Hoge
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103:Michelle Williams
52:Matthew Ryan Hoge
43:Matthew Ryan Hoge
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903:2003 drama films
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442:Kerry Washington
426:as Karen Pollard
420:as Harry Pollard
414:as Julie Pollard
390:as Becky Pollard
378:as Pearl Madison
337:auto repair shop
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721:Ebert, Roger
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704:. Retrieved
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646:the original
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568:
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530:The Believer
528:
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460:Troy Winbush
450:as Guillermo
448:Michael Peña
424:Ann Magnuson
400:Kevin Spacey
359:Ryan Gosling
342:
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317:record store
309:
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228:Running time
137:Jeremy Enigk
96:Kevin Spacey
81:Ryan Gosling
61:Kevin Spacey
513:Roger Ebert
436:Matt Malloy
388:Jena Malone
382:Chris Klein
376:Don Cheadle
328:drug dealer
305:Los Angeles
232:104 minutes
89:Jena Malone
85:Chris Klein
77:Don Cheadle
68:Jonah Smith
66:Palmer West
57:Produced by
39:Directed by
888:2004 films
883:2003 films
877:Categories
863:Metacritic
769:October 6,
706:2022-02-17
695:Metacritic
652:October 6,
620:2022-10-05
581:2013-06-01
547:References
503:Metacritic
480:Production
466:Ron Canada
438:as Charlie
346:depression
269:drama film
253:Box office
211:2004-04-02
191:2003-01-18
144:Production
49:Written by
805:6 October
489:Reception
456:as Bengel
444:as Ayesha
394:Lena Olin
299:While in
289:flashback
146:companies
123:Edited by
93:Lena Olin
799:Archived
741:April 2,
735:Archived
700:Archived
670:Archived
614:Archived
575:Archived
474:as Judge
468:as Elden
312:New York
245:Language
200:Sundance
133:Music by
73:Starring
763:Variety
524:Variety
462:as Dave
248:English
237:Country
220:limited
209: (
189: (
277:murder
565:(15)"
830:IMDb
807:2022
771:2022
743:2020
654:2022
610:IMDb
352:Cast
283:Plot
861:at
850:at
839:at
828:at
676:at
641:IGN
537:of
493:On
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
