 Ryan Gosling finds the most interesting roles, as he has done again in "The United States Of Leland". This film is about a teenager named Leland Fitzgerald whose error in judgement knocks his world off the hinges. Ryan Gosling stars in this intriguing movie, alongside Don Cheadle who plays Pearl Madison and Kevin Spacey as Albert Fitzgerald. This is a 2003 film that shows the end result of what can happen when a child's mind is left alone to form his own thoughts and opinions about right and wrong. "The United States Of Leland" begins near the end and takes viewers on a series of flashbacks leading up to the events of present day. Leland narrates the intro, as he internalizes the events in his life that lead up to his error in judgement. So what does one do when they have become so detached from the world that empathy and compassion are just passing strangers in the night? My guess is to struggle like the rest of us and make as much sense out of the chaos as possible. Leland grew up in a less than typical family home, partly due to his father being physically and emotionally absent from his childhood. His father, Albert Fitzgerald, is a big-time author who would rather spend his time writing best sellers than to show his kid healthy ways to cope with everyday stressors. Leland, in his teenage years has become detached and finds it hard to form meaningful relationships with others even when they are in the same home. Somewhere in his flashbacks, he talks of a young girl by the named Becky(Jena Malone) that has a disabled brother named Ryan, who is large part of Leland's error. "The United States Of Leland" is a film with a lot of different perspectives originating from one focal point, Leland's error. The family dynamics shown in the film do a wonderful job of taking a snapshot of what has more than likely happened in the home of someone you know. Everything from drugs to dysfunction, loneliness and hurt get the full tour in this film. Don Cheadle's character, Pearl, acts as a therapist to Leland and is also one of the only people to put any effort into getting to know the real person. Pearl and Leland begin talking about the events even further through a series of flashbacks and present day communication while he's in jail, yes Leland goes to jail. There's a lot going on in this movie, but all of the film's minutes are needed to deliver the full impact of the movie's conclusion. It's definitely a shocker! One of those, didn't see that coming moments. Also, not to forget, Cheadle and Spacey's co-starring performances give the movie that extra kick of intellect that make this a solid film. Some people may consider the Unhinged Readers taste in movies odd or weird at times, but I think we like movies that have valid ideas and beliefs behind the words. Unhinged Reviews recommends this film for those that enjoy a solid round of flashbacks and irrational events being rationalized by a detached mind. Click a button below the video to support the site Leave a comment to share thoughts or feelings about the movie -Unhinged Reviews-
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