Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Steve Pulaski Nothing could've prepared me for the depressing qualities of David Gordon Green's quiet masterwork George Washington. The film operates with such simplicity, yet such brave, unrefined naturalism that it becomes almost too much for your system to handle and processing it becomes more and more of a challenge. If there is a sadder, more minimalistic film out there I don't want to see it anytime soon.George Washington meshes the desolate loneliness of Gummo, the close friendships of Stand By Me, and the realism of teens from Kids and puts it to the backdrop of the urban decay shown in Boyz N The Hood. However, the film never feels like a cheap copy of any of those films. They share the same themes, function with similar imagery and auteur-like craft, but in no way do they feel like cheap replications of great cinema from years past. Green manages to infuse his own portrait of a decaying setting and successfully combine it with the pristine acting of the child actors and the beautifully haunting cinematography to make one of the best films I've seen this summer.The film revolves around four friends - Buddy, George, Sonya, and Vernon - all of whom are around twelve years old and live in the dilapidated urban area of North Carolina. They spend their days wandering around town, talking aimlessly amongst themselves, or just watching life passing them by, not taking advantage of its opportunities because the landscape is such a desolate roadblock to anywhere. One day, tragedy strikes and is inflicted by the titular character, a troubled soul already due to a skull-condition that greatly limits physical contact with friends. The four must now learn to cope with tragedy and deal with a situation like adults, when no one adults have given them any practical guidance or life advice in their lives.The film is almost totally plot less. Even when the tragedy strikes, not much is predicated off of it. The entire film isn't directly encapsulated off of that instance, and goes on to develop long after it happens, showing more and more problems the characters faced even before this happened. Consider George, who now lives with the thought that his lack of human interaction practically sheltered him in life and now he has the notion that when he does engage in contact it'll end badly. Vernon must now live with the nudging thought that nobody really cared about what happened. Sonya remarks how she has the inability to feel, even after something as serious as what just happened. She is an unmoved child, likely made that way by a bleak landscape with little opportunities and little order from parents. And Buddy is now crushed after his girlfriend just left him. I wanted to hug each one of these characters for an obscenely amount of time.That is because David Gordon Green knows how to make a story like this progress with subtly and poetic tendencies. The poetry on display comes largely from Tim Orr's cinematography, which is beautiful in the sense that is shows heat, decay, isolation, loneliness, sadness, and fear more than any screenplay could. When Green allows Orr's cinematography to do the talking and places the characters in the background is when George Washington is its strongest. I never thought I'd say something like that, being a lover of relatable, fully fleshed-out characters and extensive dialog.The less said about George Washington thematically the better. It's a film with minimalism just elaborate enough to make a point but just ambiguous enough to encourage thought and contemplation. Within the next few weeks, I will make it a priority to explore more of David Gordon Green's filmography; George Washington is the best start any filmmaker could ask for.Starring: Candace Evanofski, Donald Holden, and Paul Schneider. Directed by: David Gordon Green.

Polaris_DiB David Gordon Green's first feature is like Gummo, only better: characters stumble across a vast wasteland they're only semi-aware of, but instead of just being weird and disturbing, these characters are gentle and caring. Actually, it's worth noting that most of the dialog is not all that un-familiar, and that if the characters were older this movie would seem like pretentious Indie junk. Instead, it puts the context into comedic relief to see 12 year olds discussing love like aging veterans of break-up and loss.As for, well, imagery: heart-breaking/rending photography. Shot in North Carolina, two people to praise would be the location scout and the cinematographer.... the town these people live in is shapeless, buildings and trash and trains and mines and forest and plants and trees and swamp all co-inhabit the same spaces. The characters seem to know their way around, but trying to track them in context to an overall map is impossible. As a background, it serves well, but also symbolically links to George's traffic directing as a true act of heroism, even after saving that kid's life.Anyway, this movie is wonderful, and as David Gordon Green has been getting a lot of attention lately what with his new movie Pineapple Express coming out, I'd like to check out more of his work.--PolarisDiB

bandw I wanted to see this movie ever since Roger Ebert heaped praise on it, so I was surprised that I found it to be suffocating, frustrating, and depressing. I just wanted the people in this movie to have more, not just financially, but more opportunity, more respect, more reason to live. If that was indeed the point, then this movie did not give me any new insights.The interaction among the kids was mundane, except for an occasional soliloquy, or exchange, that obviously came directly from the screen writer's imagination and seemed out-of-place. The adult males were a sad lot - the goofiness of one of the construction workers seemed forced, as did much of the story line.This movie is nicely photographed and created a mood, but there was just not enough here to get me involved.

Morritec This is a movie with a story, not an action movie. It's a movie that you WILL talk about after seeing it. The kids don't act "Hollywood", but that's not bad. They do act like real kids. So real, in fact, my 7 year old son, (I started playing the DVD at his bed-time, being a 'non-rated' movie and not knowing what to expect) seeing only the first few minutes, asked me if this movie was really happening! The style is somewhat comparable to an improved 'Stimie', 'Farina' type "Little Rascals" episode - kids were kids! Though coping and reacting to death is certainly a heavier subject than "Our Gang" would ever tackle, thus ends the comparison. A very professionally done film, very scenic. Hollywood couldn't have done better! Of all the comments on this board that I read, no one got very detailed as far as how "Family-Friendly" the unrated movie is. So for those like me, with out giving away any of the story..... As far as I remember, there were maybe 5 or so 'h*lls' and about as many 'd*mns'. Otherwise the language, even the few 'bathroom' words, was acceptable. 3 mild sexual references, no nudity (except underwear?). One scene of a boy taking a puff or two on a cigarette, and a little blood during an accident. I'm not the MPAA, but it would most likely be a PG movie. I hope this helps for those who want to know! I'm glad I got the movie.