‘Young Washington’ Review: America’s First President Gets Origin Story

It is a time honored practice in cinematic history to slap the word “young” in front of future historical icons in order to milk their early years and tell a story of how they survived the struggles of relative youth to become the uber-famous person we got to know. Think Young Mr. Lincoln, Young Winston, Young Einstein, Young Tom Edison, , even the baddies like Young Dillinger and Young Jesse James. The list is endless. My personal favorite is Young Frankenstein, but I don’t think he was real. Anyway it seems odd we haven’t had a Young Washington (George, not Denzel) until now, at least one that I have seen. But now, thanks to the ever-so-patriotic, often faith based-leaning output of Angel Studios, that wrong has been righted, so to speak, and the man we have stared at for so long on our U.S.A. dollar bill now has his own partial biopic.

I had expected we might even get the schoolboy trope of chopping down the cherry tree bit in this, but no, director and co-writer Jon Erwin (I Can Only Imagine, Jesus Revolution) best known for some rather fine faith based movies, has focused this film narrowly on the 20-something George Washington (played by British actor William Franklyn Miller), mostly in 1755, ten years before the Declaration of Independence, and set largely around his involvement on the battlefields, both in success and defeat. There are flashbacks to the young young Washington as a child (played by Will Joseph) but they aren’t the focus here. However we see young George, frustrated after the death of his father, being stuck to take care of his family’s Mount Vernon farm instead of fulfilling his dream to be a British Officer even if he is an American., Thus he is helping his mother (Mary Louise Parker in a thankless role), and being mentored by older brother Lawrence (John Foss) who has managed to find his way into proper society through marriage and military, a role model for George in that way.

Signing up for the British Army at age 23, after going back and forth with the Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddie (Sir Ben Kingsley sitting behind a desk for the entirety of his role it seems), he also aims to make his mark, breaking into a fancy gathering, cozying up to pretty Sally Cary (Mia Rodgers) and impressing her father, the wealthy nobleman Lord Fairfax (Kelsey Grammer) who backs him on a plan to enter into the French/Indian war to save his Ohio territory from getting into the hands of the aggressive French army ( it actually belonged in reality to the indigenous Seneca population but that’s another story). It doesn’t go well, but George will live to fight another day, even after most of the 150-strong volunteers he led into that battle don’t survive.

What makes this as watchable as it is are actually the impressively shot battle sequences , from the unfortunate Battle of Fort Necessity and to the triumphal Battle of Fort Duquense where George becomes an impressive warrior, the latter as aide to General Braddock (Andy Serkis). Erwin expertly lays these out in realistic fashion for the times with the great help of cinematographer Kristopher Kimlin.

Miller is mostly effective as the young Washington of the title, more of an action star vibe than the George Washington Hollywood has sparsely portrayed in his older years and as President. Kingsley is quite good too in a role it probably took one day to shoot. Joel David Smallbone is briefly amusing as a cranky aristocrat and the rest of the cast does what they are expected to do.

Even if this movie feels like it more comfortably belongs on the History Channel instead of a wide summer break in theatres, it fills the bill for patriotism over this fourth of July weekend. Telling the early story of the man who became our first President and once legendarily proclaimed “I cannot tell a lie”, is important as a moral lesson at the very least in an era where the 47th President has a hard time telling a “truth”. How far we haven’t come.

Producers are  Erwin, Chip Diggins, Adam Abel, Kristy Choo, Tyler Zacharia.

Title: Young Washington
Distributor: Angel Studios
Release date: July 3, 2026
Director: Jon Erwin
Screenwriters: Jon Erwin, Tom Provost, Diederik Hoogstraten
Cast: William Franklyn-Miller, Ben Kingsley, Andy Serkis, Joel Smallbone, Kelsey Grammer, Mary-Louise Parker, Mia Rodgers, John Foss, Will Joseph.
Rating: PG13
Running time: 2 hr, 5 mins