Its themes may feel overly familiar, but Going All the Way is set apart from other period coming-of-age films by the strength of its performances.
This 1950s drama follows the homecoming of Korean War veterans Gunner and Sonny. The introverted Sonny now finds his life to be very dull. With the self-confident Gunner's help, Sonny gets involved with a gorgeous woman. When the relationship turns intimate, a single event leads to a terrible crisis.
The leading men never quite show us the essence of their unlikely friendship.
I'm a decade younger than the characters in this movie, but I grew up in a time and place not far from the film's psychic setting. I recognized much.
Even if it's too self-conscious, Going All the Way, set in 1950s Indianapolis, nevertheless has a mix of the sweet and the forlorn that somehow works.
The only thing that sets it apart from so many forgettable period piece coming-of-age stories is that it has been put together with a degree of care and skill.
This funny, oddly moving little film is distinguished by some fine acting.
Ultimately it's goofy and a little bit confusing, but a few of its insights are worthwhile, if far from unique in this genre.
Davies and Affleck, though actors of different styles, share a genuine rapport, and their scenes together seem honest and compassionate.
That rare '50s piece capable of attracting a young '90s audience.
We're supposed to accept that something, anything, is happening, even though the actors are just standing there spouting memorized lines rather unenthusiastically.
[A] myopic male gauntlet of shrews and Jews.
In love and life there's only one way to go. Goo Film! At any rate, the plight of Sonny Burns, the protagonist of this film, is so easy to identify with, and the way he sees Gunner is so typical and real that this film really is refreshing and understandable. The oppressive blanket of the 1950's plays another role in this film, really as one of the more important characters. Sonny doesn't know how to deal with a lot of different things, and he isn't being told/taught how to do so by his parents or his society. It's a sad movie, but filled with hope at the same time. "Going All the Way" is no 10-star film, to be sure, but the earnest efforts of cast and crew come through sufficiently that it is worth your while to give it a look. This is a character-driven film that asks you to open your heart and, although set in the 1950s, examines one aspect of the human condition that we can relate to even today. After returning home from the Korean War, two young men search for love and fulfillment in middle America.