There’s a level of high camp here reminiscent of Ridley Scott’s ­Napoleon...and you don’t need to know much American history to enjoy it. However, at two hours it drags, and there is a delay in what we really came to see: the battles.

Stirring and inspirational without being preachy, Young Washington dramatizes the lesson that a brave man’s mistakes, when faced, can lead to his greatest triumphs.

The movie is artistically conservative, with some of the bland sincerity of an afternoon special. Yet as afternoon specials go, “Young Washington” is a good one.

A movie that "30 Rock's" Jenna Maroney would star in if it were still on, though it's surprisingly competent in some ways.