Part Dawson's Creek-style drama and part character study, Matthew Ryan Hoge's The United States of Leland (2003) is a film that seems a little unsure of itself. Despite several strong performances helping to keep things afloat, it becomes increasingly obvious that this film never really comes together. In essence, it's a few interesting concepts and characters mixed in with a few lackluster ones, and neither seems to find a confident center. That's not to say it's a terrible film, but there are too many problems along the way to consider this movie a success.

To be fair, the movie starts off strongly enough, as we've just learned that young Leland P. Fitzgerald (played by Ryan Gosling) has been convicted of the murder of an even younger boy. There is no great mystery and there are no apparent motives, but we know that he's guilty. Through a series of flashbacks to the months and years prior to the crime, we're given a bigger picture of how Leland's mind works, and that's where the real story is. Is Leland a killer at heart? How has his home life affected his behavior? Does his interaction with the murder victim's sister play a part in this murder? It's true that The United States of Leland has a lot of answers to provide, but unfortunately never gets around to providing many of them.

In truth, the biggest culprit for the film's inability to stay focused is the large supporting cast. Among many others, we're introduced to Leland's neglectful father (Kevin Spacey), a prison teacher who wants to write about Leland (Don Cheadle), the victim's sister (and Leland's sorta girlfriend) Becky (Jena Malone), and her sister's sorta boyfriend Allen (Chris Klein). Of course, there's the rest of the families, a few other girlfriends, and even a family who watched after Leland during a stay in New York. Add all these characters up, and it reads more like the cast of a long running television drama, not a movie that runs for less than two hours. While some other films are able to juggle such a large number of characters, The United States of Leland has too many stories to tell, and not enough time to tell them. In fact, several supporting scenes and subplots play more like deleted scenes than anything else, as more time could have been given to the character study of Leland himself. Instead, the viewer is left to wade through a soap opera.

Additionally---and this is more of a personal nitpick than anything else---I didn't really care for the fact that the murder victim was mentally handicapped, especially with the lack of detail given to his particular situation. It really seemed to be nothing more than a casual plot device to create controversy and added sympathy, and that's never a good idea.

Still, for all intents and purposes, The United States of Leland has a few saving graces. For starters, the film has a terrific atmosphere that really goes beyond most other character-driven dramas. From the look of the darker settings to the fragmented use of flashbacks, I appreciate that The United States of Leland wasn't presented in a typical fashion. Additionally, there are a number of great performances here, especially from Ryan Gosling and the ever-dependable Kevin Spacey and Don Cheadle. Their character interactions comprise the film's best moments, and they're worth waiting for. Sadly, despite their frequent interaction (especially between Cheadle and Gosling), there may be a little too much waiting to keep many viewers interested.

After an unsuccessful run at the box office, The United States of Leland has finally arrived on DVD from Paramount...but there's good news and bad news. While I'm normally inclined to sum things up in advance at this point, the ratings at the top should easily spell out the shortcomings of this release. In essence, you don't get much for the asking price, and the movie itself doesn't exactly have universal appeal. Regardless, let's see how this disc stacks up, shall we?

Likewise, the audio treatment was another highlight. Available in either 5.1 or Dolby Surround Sound mixes, the atmosphere for The United States of Leland was surprisingly tight. Still, this is a dialogue-driven film, but the natural sounding audio mix does a great job of keeping the viewer's ears interested. Additionally, optional English subtitles have been provided for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The menus and packaging are somewhat of a mixed bag, because they don't really capture the feel of the movie very well. Both the cover art and main menu (seen above) are very cold and high-contrast, while the film itself has a much softer look to it. Regardless, the simple layout and design make for easy navigation. This 104-minute feature has been divided into 12 chapters, and a layer change was detected right around the 60-minute mark. Although the packaging design has already been mentioned, this disc comes housed in a regular keepcase and has no accompanying insert.

By and large, the biggest disappointment on this disc was a total lack of real bonus features. Maybe it's just me, but it always seems like the films that could really use some support are the ones that don't get any. A director's commentary or interviews with the cast may have really helped me appreciate The United States of Leland more, but all we get are the film's Theatrical Trailer and a handful of other Paramount Previews. The $30 price tag for this bare-bones disc is ridiculous, and won't exactly encourage many blind buys.

As a drama, The United States of Leland really struggles to stay above water, but it contains a few excellent performances that are worth checking out. Despite the negative reaction the film recieved during its short theatrical run, there are a few other things that The United States of Leland gets right: atmosphere, tone, and an intriguing premise. If you've already made your mind up about the movie, there's not much else that this DVD release has to offer. Despite a good technical treatment, the high price tag for the minimal content will all but bury this release. Still, I'd encourage any interested parties to give this DVD a shot over the weekend. Rent It.

The Official Website of The United States of Leland