Hollywood keeps insisting Americans are tired of their own history. Young Washington proves exactly the opposite. I found myself forgetting I already knew how the story ended and began rooting for Washington to end up with Miss Fairfax — even though her name was definitely not Martha, so she would most certainly not end up being the first lady.
Like most Americans, I grew up knowing George Washington as our nation's first president and the subject of the famous cherry tree story — and little else. Young Washington gives audiences the chance to see who he was and why he became so great before he ever led our nation.
Long before he became the father of his country, George Washington was something rarer: a young man with no name, no dynasty, and no reason to expect history would remember him at all. At 22, driven only by ambition, he set out to prove himself. One of the film's most memorable moments comes when a British soldier shrugs off the conflict because his home is an ocean away. Washington reminds the soldier that it isn't the case for him. And for the first time in history, Americans began to take their shape.
Mainstream media would like to convince you this film is failing, but the proof is in the numbers. Young Washington opened to $20.8 million domestically, breaking Angel Studios' previous live-action opening weekend record. At the same time, DC's Supergirl — the superhero film everybody supposedly wanted — collapsed by 80% in its second weekend. Young Washington currently holds a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a perfect “A” CinemaScore during opening weekend. Chris Pratt called it "so good," comparing it to The Revenant, Pride and Prejudice, and Braveheart.
Award-winning actors Ben Kingsley, Kelsey Grammer, Mary-Louise Parker, and Andy Serkis round out the veteran cast, joining William Franklin Miller and Mia Rodgers in their feature film debuts. Too often, period pieces use famous actors to ensure visibility. Casting an unknown as young Washington was the right decision. Rather than seeing an actor playing George Washington, audiences see George Washington. It makes the world feel authentic in a way few historical dramas manage. Even the veteran actors disappear into colonial America rather than distract from it.
Hopefully, the film encourages studios to produce more historical dramas that immerse audiences in another time and place. Hearing characters speak each other's native tongues and watching different cultures navigate an uncertain continent reminds viewers just how long America's founding truly was. As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, it is worth remembering that independence was not born overnight.
Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. Young Washington takes place between 1753 and 1755 during the opening campaigns of the French and Indian War, culminating in the Battle of the Monongahela. Nearly three centuries separate those events. Hollywood often compresses early American history into a handful of familiar moments, leaving audiences with little appreciation for how long the colonies took to become America. The Night at the Museum franchise has children believing Sacagawea and Teddy Roosevelt existed in the same era — that is how much Hollywood's relationship with history matters.
One of the film's quieter strengths is its portrayal of Native American leaders as active political participants rather than background characters. They negotiate alliances, pursue their own interests, and influence the course of events just as European powers did. It is a far more nuanced portrayal than audiences often receive.
By the time the credits rolled, I found myself wanting more. Fortunately, we may get exactly that. Director Jon Erwin has already announced a sequel, 1776, centered on the Revolutionary War. Young Washington reminds audiences that America's founding was never inevitable. It was built by imperfect young men making impossible decisions. Judging by the film's box office performance and audience response, Americans still want stories that take their history seriously.
Hollywood has insisted for years that those stories no longer have an audience. Young Washington proves otherwise.
