George Washington (Widescreen)

Myth #1--David Gordon Green writes snotty art-house dialogue.
Characters in George Washington use ordinary, everyday words that all kids know, whether their local public school is a good one or not. In fact, a lot of the dialogue in the movie is just random, everyday talk about food, feelings, funny stuff that happened yesterday, or whatever.

Myth #2--David Gordon Green creates pretentious characters.
Although the characters in George Washington use everyday language, they do tend to take themselves seriously. It is obvious that each and every one of them wishes for happiness and wants something good to happen in their lives. I like this very much about his movies, not least because it breaks up the usual Hollywood stereotypes about rural life--the corny gas station attendant, the Deliverance redneck, the Daisy Duke slut, etc. Instead of all that mess, we get people who actually think about the past and the future and try to make sense of what is going on around them. What's pretentious about that?

Myth #3--David Gordon Green condescends to his subjects.
As the commentary tracks and extensive supplements demonstrate, Green's relationship with his actors is incredibly sensitive and complex. Listening to Green and to his (mostly youthful) actors, you realize he's one of those rare adults that can treat kids as if they are real human beings. Critics and viewers are the condescending ones when they object to the dialogue as "pretentious." What they're really saying is that they're contemptuous of "regular people" who live off the cultural radar and can't take them seriously or bother to care about how their lives turn out.

Myth #4--David Gordon Green has no story to tell.
Though it doesn't have a clear ending, there is at least a beginning and middle here, and in that sense this movie isn't any different than many a Hollywood character drama, from Affliction to American Beauty. And unlike those films, George Washington manages to tell its story with a voiceover that is neither obvious nor obnoxious.

Myth #5--David Gordon Green makes everything in his movies look beautiful, but for no reason.
Green's rural South is prettified, no doubt about it. In fact it's hard to think of a more beautiful use of color film in the last ten years or so. But the beauty does have a purpose, namely to suggest that the world is full of joy and potential. The camera sees run-down neighborhoods, abandoned cars, and factories through the eyes of youth. To Green's protagonists, the world is a place where one can be happy, despite the fact that the good life, as DC or Hollywood or New York imagine it, is nowhere to be seen. The film's title, not to mention the repeated images of George Bush, seem to make a subtle but definite point about the difference between the American Dream and the different, but still meaningful, reality that many people inhabit. This difference comes to a head in a great speech that owes a debt to Medium Cool by Haskel Wexler, one of Green's big influences. In a way this is a very political way to see, and though it's not exactly Norma Rae or Matewan (two movies for which Wexler did cinematography), Green's commitment to seeing beauty in ordinary lives is significant in its own right. And, for those who think that only foreign film has any complexity, it's a distinctly American way to approach youth.

Myth #6--Criterion overestimated the importance of Green's work when they added George Washington to their collection.
The fact is that Green's vision is a very unusual one, and in a time where indie movies seem to pride themselves on haphazard camera work and smart-ass pessimism, this film definitely suggests a better direction. Might be the beginning of a great career, might not, but definitely an American film that needs to be preserved. The extras are superb, by the way.

Admittedly there's stuff wrong with George Washington. Some side stories should have been edited down, a little more plot exposition would have been nice, and the murdered dog who gets turned into a hat is maybe a little too cute of a plot device. But these are youthful offenses and you can't expect Green to hit the clarity and precision of Walkabout or Days of Heaven on his first try. This is a talky movie, and if you can't handle that, stay away. But don't confuse this with Steven Soberberg-type art-house sobbery. This is a movie that sits on the porch and watches life pass quietly, beautifully, joyfully, tragically by.