Featuring Ben Kingsley, Andy Serkis, Mary-Louise Parker and Kelsey Grammer in supporting roles, Jon Erwin’s drama depicts the founding father’s early days in the military
If nothing else, the new film about George Washington — released just in time for America’s 250th birthday — will give overworked schoolteachers a break. It’s all too easy to imagine them putting their feet up on their desks and taking a well-deserved nap while screening the film for their middle-school students. Depicting the military adventures of our first president when he was only in his early 20s during the French and Indian War, Young Washington provides a historical origin story that fits in well during our current superhero craze.
After an early scene in which we see 12-year-old George (Will Joseph) left bereft by the death of his father and consoled by his strong-willed mother Mary (Mary-Louise Parker), the rest of the story takes place in 1755. George (William Franklyn-Miller), now a strapping, model-handsome 22-year-old man, is desperately ambitious to rise above his modest station in life.
The plot
After being rejected by the British army, he smartly insinuates himself with Lord Fairfax (Kelsey Grammer), who becomes his mentor. George manages to get himself commissioned as a major in the Virginia militia by Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddle (Ben Kingsley), primarily because of his knowledge of the surrounding area, where the French have begun encroaching.
His military career initially doesn’t go so well, including leading his men into a disastrous battle resulting in many casualties. But he soon learns his lessons and reveals his prowess, with his survival during the ensuing skirmishes ascribed to divine protection.
The problems
The screenplay features the sort of declamatory dialogue that seems more suited to accompany graphic novel panels. We never get a true feeling of Washington’s inner thoughts, which is less the fault of the actor playing him than the cursory treatment that concentrates more on the numerous battle scenes. And while those sequences display admirable historical accuracy, they’re marred by digital special effects that often prove unconvincing.
Feeling much longer than its two hours, Young Washington suffers from the stiff, stodgy quality of so many historical dramas. And while the film features several well-known actors, their performances are mostly distracting. Andy Serkis, as an arrogant British general who fatally meets his comeuppance, is so over the top he makes his work as Gollum seem subtle.
The marketing campaign
Young Washington revels in its patriotism at every turn, but it was shot in Ireland, there apparently being nowhere in America that approximates the Virginia landscapes of the period. Even more egregiously, the film continues Angel Studios’ penchant for its “Pay It Forward” marketing campaign, with the end credits featuring a special message from Kelsey Grammer extolling America’s virtues and imploring audience members to buy tickets for others so that we can help make it “America’s No. 1 Movie!”
