Going All the Way

Rating:
Summary: Great coming of age film, strong performances
Review: Going All The Way tells the story of a boy, Sonny Burns, returns from being a journalist in the war (played by Jeremy Davies), meets on the train ride home a high school icon named Tom "Gunner" Casselman (played by a pre Good Will Hunting Ben Affleck). A unlikely relationship occurs, both sharing a love of photography, art and most importantly women. The film is quite melancholy at times but very always keeps its edge. First time director Mark Pellington does a nice job keeping the story's visuals pitch perfect and drawing very controlled performances from all involved. A good film that grows with each repeat viewing.

Rating:
Summary: Great coming of age film, strong performances
Review: Going All The Way tells the story of a boy, Sonny Burns, returns from being a journalist in the war (played by Jeremy Davies), meets on the train ride home a high school icon named Tom "Gunner" Casselman (played by a pre Good Will Hunting Ben Affleck). A unlikely relationship occurs, both sharing a love of photography, art and most importantly women. The film is quite melancholy at times but very always keeps its edge. First time director Mark Pellington does a nice job keeping the story's visuals pitch perfect and drawing very controlled performances from all involved. A good film that grows with each repeat viewing.

Rating:
Summary: Great coming of age film, strong performances
Review: Going All The Way tells the story of a boy, Sonny Burns, returns from being a journalist in the war (played by Jeremy Davies), meets on the train ride home a high school icon named Tom "Gunner" Casselman (played by a pre Good Will Hunting Ben Affleck). A unlikely relationship occurs, both sharing a love of photography, art and most importantly women. The film is quite melancholy at times but very always keeps its edge. First time director Mark Pellington does a nice job keeping the story's visuals pitch perfect and drawing very controlled performances from all involved. A good film that grows with each repeat viewing.

Rating:
Summary: Ben Affleck is terrific
Review: I purchased this film mainly because I am a Ben Affleck fan. I rented it once on video and thought that it was a great film. There is an interesting story and stuff to get you roped in...it was good

Rating:
Summary: A great film becomes a DVD heavy on extra features!
Review: Ignore Leonard Maltin's whiney review! Mark Pellington's "Going All the Way" is ANYTHING but a "familiar seeming" coming of age story! In fact, ignore the synopsis on this very DVD package that describes the film as a "romantic comedy"! Although the characters may have sex on their minds, there is not much real "romance" to be found in this particular tale! Based on Dan Wakefield's 1971 novel of the same name, "Going All the Way" is a somewhat darkly-shaded character study of two unlikely friends in 1950's Indianapolis. One of the charcters, Sonny Burns (played by "Saving Private Ryan's" Jeremy Davies), is the complete antithesis of a glamorous Hollywood leading man, and Davies completely brings to life the character described Wakefield's original book. His brooding, half-mumbled performance perfectly captures Sonny's underlying anger, confusion, and insecurity. Actress Amy Locane (who previously appeared in "School Ties") also shines in a smaller part as Sonny's longsuffering girlfriend Buddy Porter. Although she does not have an over-abundance of dialogue, Locane conveys a lot of emotion with her expressive eyes and facial expressions...and as it turns out in the end, Buddy is probably the most "with it" character in this entire story. This new DVD release is a virtual tresure trove for fans of this film! The original rough cut of "Going All the Way" ran 3 hours and 10 minutes, and was cut down to less than 2 hours for its theatrical release. The DVD provides us with well over an hour of that "missing" footage, presented here as "deleted scenes". In fact the first deleted scene is an entire 45 minute subplot that was excised from the film. (Fans of Wakefield's novel will recognize this section as the tale of Gunner Castleman's ill-fated beard!). This lengthy outttake alone makes the DVD worth owning! Some of the other "missing footage" shows us that Sonny's mother (played by film veteran Jill Clayburg) played a bigger part in the original storyline, as did Gunner's sassy girlfriend Marty (played convincingly by British accress Rachel Weisz), and Locane's character Buddy. There is also a more graphic take of the scene involving Sonny's attempted suicide, and it will probably be a little too intense for some viewers! A little less satisfying than the extensive "outtakes reel" is director Mark Pellington's commentary track, spoken in a deep monotonous voice. Pellington does give some useful insights into the film, but he also has the habit of saying "we shot this on location", without ever telling us WHERE the location is! The director also fails to talk about the relation of the music to the film, although many of the 50's-era tunes heard on the soundtrack draw obvious lyrical parallels to the action on screen. (See Sonny and Gayle's "love scene" together for a great example of this.) Pellington mostly just comments on the performances on the actors, and how he could have shot scenes differetly. In fact Pellington reveals on the commentary track that he plans to re-edit and re-release "Going All the Way" within the next few years, adding some voice-over narration from Davies, and restoring some of the lost footage for an extended "directors cut". Does this mean that I'll have another "Going All the Way" DVD to buy a few years down the road? That's OK, this unique film is well worth it!

Rating:
Summary: A great film becomes a DVD heavy on extra features!
Review: Ignore Leonard Maltin's whiney review! Mark Pellington's "Going All the Way" is ANYTHING but a "familiar seeming" coming of age story! In fact, ignore the synopsis on this very DVD package that describes the film as a "romantic comedy"! Although the characters may have sex on their minds, there is not much real "romance" to be found in this particular tale! Based on Dan Wakefield's 1971 novel of the same name, "Going All the Way" is a somewhat darkly-shaded character study of two unlikely friends in 1950's Indianapolis. One of the charcters, Sonny Burns (played by "Saving Private Ryan's" Jeremy Davies), is the complete antithesis of a glamorous Hollywood leading man, and Davies completely brings to life the character described Wakefield's original book. His brooding, half-mumbled performance perfectly captures Sonny's underlying anger, confusion, and insecurity. Actress Amy Locane (who previously appeared in "School Ties") also shines in a smaller part as Sonny's longsuffering girlfriend Buddy Porter. Although she does not have an over-abundance of dialogue, Locane conveys a lot of emotion with her expressive eyes and facial expressions...and as it turns out in the end, Buddy is probably the most "with it" character in this entire story. This new DVD release is a virtual tresure trove for fans of this film! The original rough cut of "Going All the Way" ran 3 hours and 10 minutes, and was cut down to less than 2 hours for its theatrical release. The DVD provides us with well over an hour of that "missing" footage, presented here as "deleted scenes". In fact the first deleted scene is an entire 45 minute subplot that was excised from the film. (Fans of Wakefield's novel will recognize this section as the tale of Gunner Castleman's ill-fated beard!). This lengthy outttake alone makes the DVD worth owning! Some of the other "missing footage" shows us that Sonny's mother (played by film veteran Jill Clayburg) played a bigger part in the original storyline, as did Gunner's sassy girlfriend Marty (played convincingly by British accress Rachel Weisz), and Locane's character Buddy. There is also a more graphic take of the scene involving Sonny's attempted suicide, and it will probably be a little too intense for some viewers! A little less satisfying than the extensive "outtakes reel" is director Mark Pellington's commentary track, spoken in a deep monotonous voice. Pellington does give some useful insights into the film, but he also has the habit of saying "we shot this on location", without ever telling us WHERE the location is! The director also fails to talk about the relation of the music to the film, although many of the 50's-era tunes heard on the soundtrack draw obvious lyrical parallels to the action on screen. (See Sonny and Gayle's "love scene" together for a great example of this.) Pellington mostly just comments on the performances on the actors, and how he could have shot scenes differetly. In fact Pellington reveals on the commentary track that he plans to re-edit and re-release "Going All the Way" within the next few years, adding some voice-over narration from Davies, and restoring some of the lost footage for an extended "directors cut". Does this mean that I'll have another "Going All the Way" DVD to buy a few years down the road? That's OK, this unique film is well worth it!

Rating:
Summary: Good if you like Davies and Affleck
Review: Not one of my most beloved favorites, but it was rather entertaining, funny, and deep, but not a masterpiece. Jeremy Davies is well cast as the returning vet who comes home to an overloving and over bearing mother and a strictly business father, and the girl he left behind. All of them eventually get on his nerves, and finds himself unable to control his sexuality. Ben Affleck is equally good as his buddy but has different views on life. From the looks on his face he looks as if he prefers to have worked with Matt Damon rather than with Davies, but what does that matter? Not for everyone's taste or pleasure, but rather amusing to see, especially if the girls saw Davies in "Saving Private Ryan" and want to see more of him. They should get more than their fill here.

Rating:
Summary: Fine film, but I hate that generic title
Review: Sonny Burns (Jeremy Davies) and Gunnar Casselman (Ben Affleck) are two young men who strike up an acquaintance on their way home from the war in Korea. As students at the same high school, Sonny, the neurotic introvert, and Gunnar, the Golden Boy athlete, moved in entirely different circles. Now, following the life-changing experience of the war, this odd couple is able to provide much needed support for each other as they resist sliding back into the same old routine. Unlike Gunnar's hard-drinking, partying high school buddies, Sonny takes Gunnar's newly-found, "inner-directed" (as he calls it), philosophical side seriously. Gunnar provides vital support and advice as Sonny tries to overcome the crippling neuroses that make it so difficult for him to relate to the opposite sex and break away from his controlling parents. The entire cast is excellent, but Davies really excels as the imploding, desperate Sonny.

Rating:
Summary: Fine film, but I hate that generic title
Review: Sonny Burns (Jeremy Davies) and Gunnar Casselman (Ben Affleck) are two young men who strike up an acquaintance on their way home from the war in Korea. As students at the same high school, Sonny, the neurotic introvert, and Gunnar, the Golden Boy athlete, moved in entirely different circles. Now, following the life-changing experience of the war, this odd couple is able to provide much needed support for each other as they resist sliding back into the same old routine. Unlike Gunnar's hard-drinking, partying high school buddies, Sonny takes Gunnar's newly-found, "inner-directed" (as he calls it), philosophical side seriously. Gunnar provides vital support and advice as Sonny tries to overcome the crippling neuroses that make it so difficult for him to relate to the opposite sex and break away from his controlling parents. The entire cast is excellent, but Davies really excels as the imploding, desperate Sonny.

Rating:
Summary: Not Great But Entertaining!
Review: The critics were not too kind to this film and probably a little too harsh. It is not a disappointing film as some would have you believe and brings to life how bad things happen to good people. I thought the acting by Jeremy Davis and Ben Affleck was very good as they brought their characters to life. I not only enjoyed the film but i was in it playing a bar patron along side Davis and Affleck. If you don't have anything better to do on a rainy day, rent or buy this move, sit back with some popcorn, and enjoy!