George Washington (2000)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

David Gordon Green

Writer:

David Gordon Green (written by)

Release Date:

28 September 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

down this twisted road, please watch over my soul and lift me up so gently so as not to touch the ground.

Plot:

A delicately told and deceptively simple story of a group of children in a depressed small town who band together to cover up a tragic mistake.

Plot Keywords:

Cover Up | Small Town | Guilt | Interracial | Accidental Death

Awards:

9 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Candace Evanofski	...	Nasia
Donald Holden	...	George
Damian Jewan Lee	...	Vernon
Curtis Cotton III	...	Buddy
Rachael Handy	...	Sonya
Paul Schneider	...	Rico Rice
Eddie Rouse	...	Damascus
Janet Taylor	...	Aunt Ruth
Derricka Rolle	...	Whitney
Ebony Jones	...	Denise
Jonathan Davidson	...	Euless
Scott Clackum	...	Augie
Beau Nix	...	Rico's Father
Jason Shirley	...	Railroad Worker
William Tipton	...	Railroad Worker

Runtime:

89 min | Argentina:94 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival) | USA:90 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | France:U | UK:12 | USA:Unrated | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

North Carolina School of the Arts - 405 W. 4th Street, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Free Country U.S.A.

Goofs:

Continuity: It is stated early in the film that Buddy is 13 years old, yet on his missing sign, it says he is only 10.

Quotes:

George: I'm a hero because I like to save people's lives. Stuff like that.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Under the Undertow (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

You Were the Best Part

Gorgeous George

Think about this for a second. Throughout this entire movie, virtually no one ever raises their voice. There's some mild horseplay and an odd parent or two scolding their child, that's it. Even though sweat, stale air and boredom pervades the lives of the film's inhabitants, the viewer begins to like being enveloped in this day-to-day smoldering childhood summer existence where meaning, whether it exists or not, must be assigned to everything. As the movie progressed I began to wonder if a plot was developing. Toward the end I realized that I no longer cared about story but was enjoying the movie anyway (Indeed, when one character finally spills the beans it no longer makes a bit of difference). The dialogue is terrific and how the directer got the actors to uniformly deliver tone and accent is amazing. On the down side there was stuff that only functioned as...well...stuff; e.g., the cracker boy's motorcycle ride.

I remember just after seeing THE DEER HUNTER wondering whether Cimino was a genius painting in ambiguity or a goof whose confusion accidentally played as nuance and contrast. Then I realized that I liked the film so much I didn't - and shouldn't - care. The same holds for GEORGE WASHINGTON. Though I suspect true talents at work here.