"Everyone Is Out of Step Except For Me!"
Based on the Tony award winning play and central performance and now being adapted by HBO and much of the creative team of Trumbo, All the Way is now available to those who could no see the stage version and life is all the better for it. Bryan Cranston gives a mesmerizing powerhouse of a performance in a film filled with true life drama and humanity. While it may be a bit linear in its focus, it is still an emotionally and intellectually potent biopic with plenty of insight to offer.
All the Way follows nearly 2 years in the life of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson shortly after the untimely death of John F. Kennedy. The movie showcases his bold and intimidating rise to his reelection while also showcasing the civil rights movement, among other things, that Johnson had a hand in helping progress. It shows how he stood for unity, but did not have a lack of flaws as a leader and husband. It is a fascinating portrait of the nature of hypocrisy with the backdrop of a time in history that still has power today.
Leading the ensemble cast is Bryan Cranston, who once again gives us a layered and demanding showcase as the endlessly complicated Lyndon Johnson. Directing him is Jay Roach, who previously directed him in Trumbo. This is a much better Cranston performance than the one in Trumbo. While his performance in Trumbo sometimes overshadowed its more emotional aspects with a sometimes kitschy intensity, Bryan Cranston retains the intimidation and boldness as Johnson, but with a greater emphasis on thematic highs and lows. While he has his fare share of scenes where he gets in the faces of others and commands their respect and loyalty, it is the quieter moments where Johnson opens up to show the actual frailty of his confidence that emanate. There is a particular scene with Lyndon Johnson in his pajamas with tears as he talks to future homosexual sex scandal victim Walter Jenkins that is absolutely riveting. The resulting fall out scene after Johnson learns of the scandal involving Jenkins is just as fascinating, as it paints an interesting picture of how "liberal" he really was. It was an interesting time where civil rights did not yet include the "radical" notion of the rights of gay men and women, but I would like to think that if Johnson was president today, it would not seem like such a taboo and shock to him. Cranston shows that subtlety hidden underneath this shock masterfully.
The rest of the ensemble cast hold their own as well. The film focuses a great deal of time on the Civil Rights movement, the Civil Rights bill that Johnson signed, and the resulting lead up to the Voting Rights act. Naturally, Martin Luther King, Jr. played a big hand in all of this. Anthony Mackie is the latest in the long line of actors to play him and he holds his own well. He may not have the screen time necessary to present King with the same complexity as David Oyelowo was able to show off in 2015's Selma, but he is still a strong contribution to the film and the pedigree of actors it has. Another stand out to me is Melissa Leo who plays Ladybird Johnson. Cranston and Leo have a sweet chemistry together, in situations both intimate and confrontational. She shows great pain in the more heated moments and it is incredibly tangible in her performance. She should not be overlooked when Bryan Cranston inevitably sweeps the Emmy's next year.
Despite the packed nature of the film, the script itself is rather streamlined and focused. Most of the film's run time is devoted to Lyndon Johnson and the Civil Rights movement that surrounded him. Honestly, this is fine to me. There is a good supply of emotional content in that aspect of Johnson's presidency and it never makes for less than compelling drama. The consequence of having such a focus on him and other individual issues is that you do not get much of a glimpse at anyone outside of Johnson's social and political circles. Public opinions are conveyed through the loud frustrations of Johnson, but not much anywhere else. This is partly due to this being adapted from a stage play with a limited ability to devote attention to anyone besides him, but it is due to the film being incredibly focused on Johnson himself. This both works for and against the film, with more emphasis on the former. This is ultimately a biopic on a very short period of one man's life, so any issues of perspective are easily forgivable. Also forgivable is the film's rather loose plotting. It is less of a narrative than it is a slice of life film, but this is also fine to me. There are still some peaks to the film and a great bittersweet ending that it builds to. However, this is a lengthy film so if you are not hooked by the performances or the political intrigue, it may be hard to find yourself hooked through the whole movie. I found myself incredibly hooked by all of it, so this was not an issue to me.
I found great power in seeing this film while having it juxtaposed to our current political climate. It is so fascinating how the film shows that something as near-universal as Civil Rights was debated with the same exact arguments from more conservative individuals, including many in the democratic party itself, that are being used today. Those who keep saying that the issues we face today are not the same as the ones in the past are ignorant to how relevant our history is to the problems we are trying to politically fix today. At the end of the film, Cranston delivers a soliloquy about how the democratic party was finally united again, but only after having to "drag them kicking and screaming". But such is how new birth generally is, as Johnson also adds. Today, we can look back with awe and incredulous bafflement at the people who "kicked and screamed" about giving someone basic rights. We fail to recognize that the same exact "kicking and screaming" is happening today with other issues that should be basic rights for all people, regardless of their personal lives or lifestyles. As Johnson asked his fellow party members back in his reign: "what side of history will you be on?" Films like All the Way are important not as riveting dramatic entertainment, but as important representations of our history that are still important to remember today.
All the Way is a stellar contribution to the representation of our country's important history though film. Lyndon Johnson may not have been a perfect man and he suffered from some of the same hypocrisy that we all do in our own ways, but hopefully the ideals of unity that he stood for will continue to evolve and inspire, partly due to films that put the spotlight back on them.
Grade: A-.
All the Way is now airing on HBO and streaming on both HBOGo and HBONow.
Like period piece dramas? Check out my reviews for both Carol, Brooklyn, and The Revenant by following the links!
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