George Washington (film)

George Washington is a 2000 American drama film written and directed by David Gordon Green. Its story centers on a group of children in a depressed small town in North Carolina who band together to cover up a tragic mistake.

George Washington
The Criterion Collection cover art for the DVD release of the film
Directed byDavid Gordon Green
Produced bySam Froelich
David Gordon Green
Sacha W. Mueller
Lisa Muskat
Written byDavid Gordon Green
StarringCandace Evanofski
Curtis Cotton III
Donald Holden
Damian Jewan Lee
Rachael Handy
Paul Schneider
Music byAndrew Gillis
David Wingo
CinematographyTim Orr
Edited byZene Baker
Steven Gonzales
Distributed byCowboy Pictures
Release date
  • February 11, 2000 (2000-02-11) (Berlin)[1]
  • October 27, 2000 (2000-10-27) (limited)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The film premiered at the 2000 Berlin International Film Festival and received wide praise from critics.

Plot

The film follows a group of kids growing up in a depressed rural town in North Carolina, as seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Nasia (Candace Evanofski). After breaking up with her show-off boyfriend Buddy (Curtis Cotton III), she withdraws from her delinquent friends and becomes romantically interested in a strange, introverted boy named George Richardson (Donald Holden) who is burdened by the fact that his skull never hardened after birth. Tragedy strikes when George accidentally kills Buddy, and the group, fearing punishment, decide to hide his body. In its aftermath, George takes up the unlikely role of town hero.

Cast
  • Candace Evanofski as Nasia
  • Curtis Cotton III as Buddy
  • Donald Holden as George Richardson
  • Damian Jewan Lee as Vernon
  • Rachael Handy as Sonya
  • Paul Schneider as Rico Rice
  • Eddie Rouse as Damascus
  • Janet Taylor as Aunt Ruth

Production

George Washington marked David Gordon Green's feature film debut as a screenwriter, film director and film producer.[2] It was also the first feature film role for actor Eddie Rouse.[2]

Reception

The film has an 84% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 61 reviews, with an average rating of 7.39/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Languid and melancholy, George Washington is a carefully observed rumination on adolescence and rural life."[3] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times selected it as one of the ten best films of 2000,[4] as did Time Magazine and New York Times critic Elvis Mitchell.[5]

In Roger Ebert's four star review, he called the cinematography by Tim Orr the best of the year, also writing "... it is not about plot, but about memory and regret. It remembers a summer that was not a happy summer, but there will never again be a summer so intensely felt, so alive, so valuable."[6] Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader gave the film a favorable review, writing "You have to bring a lot of yourself to this film if you want it to give something back, but the rewards are considerable."[7] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle called it "a director's baby from the opening frames" and "not like any other movie. That, in itself, makes it something to see. Writer-director David Gordon Green, in his feature debut, has created a visually and emotionally consistent universe."[8] Rolling Stone's Peter Travers called David Gordon Green "a writer and director of rare grace and feeling", whose directorial debut is of "startling originality that will haunt you for a good, long time."[9]

Joe Leydon of Variety was one of ten critics (out of 56) to give the film a negative review, calling it an "... undistinguished and uninvolving attempt to offer a rural spin on Kids.[1]

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References
  1. Leydon, Joe (April 17, 2000). "George Washington". Variety. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  2. Barnes, Mike (2014-12-08). "Character Actor Eddie Rouse Dies at 60". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-12-21.
  3. "George Washington". www.rottentomatoes.com. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  4. Ebert, Roger. "Ebert's Top Movies of 2000". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  5. Metacritic top 10 lists
  6. "George Washington". rogerebert.suntimes.com. January 26, 2001. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  7. "George Washington". Chicago Reader. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  8. LaSalle, Mick (January 26, 2001). "'Washington's' Truth: Vivid tale of adolescents has uniqueness of art". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  9. "George Washington". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
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