The United States of Leland Critic Reviews
Metascore®:
Based upon 10 Critic ReviewsHighest Rated
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A compelling, exquisitely acted drama about the shock waves emanating from -- and toward -- a single act of almost inexplicable violence.Read the full review
A complex and often compelling melodrama, at times almost verging on soap opera.Read the full review
I believe it is as cruel and senseless as the killings in "Elephant," but while that film was chillingly objective, this one seems to be on everybody's side. It's a moral muddle.Read the full review
Hoge, who scripted and directed The United States Of Leland, caters to his cast too much. He gives almost every character a way-too-involved subplot, which distracts from the heart of his story.Read the full review
Hoge shows no particular directorial style, bringing a bland, anonymous look to the generic Southern California suburban locations.Read the full review
An ambitious and intelligent film probing that chronic contemporary phenomenon, the seemingly senseless crime, but it is ultimately unsatisfying for all its efforts and various pluses.Read the full review
The real question raised by The United States of Leland is not why, but how. How, that is, did so many talented actors find their way to this dreary and derivative study in suburban dysfunction?Read the full review
There's something secondhand about everything here. Hoge (this is his debut) seems to be mimicking the tone and fabric of other, better indie movies.Read the full review
As bad as its title.Read the full review
The United States of Leland is tedious yet infuriating, since its characters, all of whom seem to have emerged from a screenwriter's manual, are like exhibits in a thesis meant to indict the middle class for the crime of its collective dysfunction.Read the full review
