In Theaters and Digital

Certainly not by mistake, Young Washington arrives at an absolutely perfect moment. America is celebrating its 250th anniversary, and Angel Studios—the crowd-funding outfit best known for distributing and producing faith-based entertainment—has delivered a family-friendly historical war drama about the formative years of the country's first president. Directed by Jon Erwin, a filmmaker firmly associated with the faith-based genre, the movie is pretty much exactly what you'd expect.

Fortunately for us, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Rather than turn George Washington's early life into a two-hour sermon wrapped in a powdered wig, Erwin largely keeps the preaching in check. Instead, Young Washington works best as an old-fashioned coming-of-age adventure dressed in the uniform of a history lesson. The film isn't always historically precise, but I don't think that's necessarily the point. Erwin is less interested in military formations and tactical minutiae than he is in asking a more compelling question: What turns an ambitious young man into George Washington?

William Franklyn-Miller stars as the young Washington, still decades away from becoming the familiar face on the dollar bill. Eager to establish himself in colonial Virginia, George works as a surveyor and develops relationships with influential figures including wealthy landowner Lord Fairfax (Kelsey Grammer) and Virginia lieutenant governor Robert Dinwiddie (Ben Kingsley). His ambitions eventually carry him beyond the relative safety of home and into the dangerous Ohio Territory, where competing British and French interests are pushing the colonies toward war.

As tensions erupt into the French and Indian War, Washington finds himself tested by diplomatic missions, battlefield disasters, personal failures, and the brutal realities of leadership. Under the influence of Fairfax, Dinwiddie, his formidable mother Mary (Mary-Louise Parker), and British General Edward Braddock (Andy Serkis), the young officer begins learning lessons about loyalty, courage, responsibility, and command that will ultimately help shape the man who leads a revolution.

To his credit, Erwin never allows the history lesson to completely overwhelm the movie. There are dates, famous names, and recognizable events, but Young Washington remains focused on the person rather than the plaque beneath the statue. We see where Washington's drive comes from, where he learns some painful lessons, and where the first sparks of his ideas about leadership and freedom begin to flicker.

Franklyn-Miller does an admirable job carrying the film. He gives his Washington enough youthful confidence to make his eventual mistakes believable without turning him into an arrogant caricature. He's surrounded by an impressive veteran cast, with Grammer bringing warmth and authority to Lord Fairfax and Kingsley lending Robert Dinwiddie an immediate gravitas. Serkis, meanwhile, makes the most of his role as General Braddock.

The film occasionally wanders dangerously close to after-school-special territory, particularly when characters seem to be speaking directly to the history books rather than one another. But every time Young Washington begins feeling too polished or overly earnest, Erwin usually manages to find his footing again.

The battle sequences are the film's greatest strength, particularly those surrounding the French and Indian War in 1755. They are rousing, muscular, and surprisingly effective, even when historical accuracy takes a back seat to cinematic excitement. The rolling Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and dangerous wilderness of the Ohio Territory also give the movie a convincing sense of place. Credit goes to Erwin for that.

Some viewers will undoubtedly dismiss Young Washington because of its Angel Studios roots, and there are moments when that criticism isn't entirely without merit. But doing so is a bit disingenuous, and would overlook a genuinely compelling historical adventure. This certainly isn't an American Braveheart, though it occasionally seems to be reaching for the same emotional territory of loyalty, family, honor, sacrifice, and standing up for what is right.

Young Washington may simplify the history and polish a few rough edges, but it understands that legends don't begin as legends. They begin as ambitious, imperfect young people making mistakes and learning from them. When Erwin focuses on that journey rather than the mythology, the film becomes something better than a patriotic anniversary assignment: it becomes a surprisingly watchable story about the making of a leader.

MPAA Rating: PG-13.
Runtime: 121 mins
Director: Jon Erwin
Writer: Diederik Hoogstraten
Cast: William Franklyn-Miller, Kelsey Grammer, Ben Kingsley
Genre: History | War
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "How are you not dead?"
Distributor: Angel Studios
Official Site: https://www.angel.com/movies/young-washington
Release Date: July 3, 2026
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: A young George Washington faces war, betrayal and impossible choices that will forge a leader.