DVD Review: All the Way

Release Date: September 6, 2016
Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: Approx. 144 minutes (including bonus content)

Following its critically acclaimed, award-winning Broadway run, All the Way (starring four-time Emmy® winner Bryan Cranston who reprises his Tony Award-winning role, is a riveting behind-the-scenes look at President Lyndon B. Johnson’s (LBJ) tumultuous first year in office in the wake of President Kennedy’s assassination. 

Hailed as “dramatically dazzling” (Baltimore Sun) and “powerful” (Chicago Sun-Times), All the Way follows LBJ during his early administration, as he stakes his presidency on what would be a historic,unprecedented Civil Rights Act. Johnson finds himself caught between the moral imperative of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the expectations of the southern Democratic Party leaders who brought Johnson to power. As King battles to press Johnson while controlling more radical elements of the Civil Rights movement, Johnson navigates the bill through Congress, winning a landslide victory against Barry Goldwater, but causing the South to defect from the Democratic Party.

Co-starring with Cranston are Anthony Mackie (Martin Luther King, Jr.), Melissa Leo (Lady Bird Johnson), Bradley Whitford (Hubert Humphrey) and Frank Langella (Sen. Richard Russell). Additional cast members include Joe Morton (Roy Wilkins), Stephen Root (J. Edgar Hoover), Marque Richardson (Bob Moses), Aisha Hinds (Fanny Lou Hamer), Todd Weeks (Walter Jenkins), Mo McRae (Stokely Carmichael) and Spencer Garrett (Walter Reuther).  The film was directed by Jay Roach (Emmy® winner for HBO’s Game Changeand Recount) from a screenplay by Robert Schenkkan (Pulitzer Prize winner for “The Kentucky Cycle”; two-time Emmy® nominee and Writers Guild Award winner for HBO’s The Pacific), who has adapted his Tony Award-winning play of the same name.

***

All the Way is a fascinating look at Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson’s move to President after the assassination of President Kennedy, his decision once in office to put his focus on certain movements – the black vote being one of them, and his road to rising to President the traditional way via an election.

What makes this film work, what makes it so compelling is Bryan Cranston’s performance. He really brings President Johnson to life and truly embraces all of the good and the bad of a very complex person, giving us a refreshing, fully fleshed out interpretation of one of the most interesting Presidents (during one of the most historic moments in history) of the nation.

Cranston aside, I cannot say that I was much too impressed with All the Way. It simply was not as riveting as I’d hope as a whole and felt quite dry and bland overall (an unfortunate pattern that I tend to notice in many plays adapted to film, even if the playwright also writes the teleplay). Cranston delivers such a powerful performance and really grabs and holds your attention in every single scene that he is in. Cranston’s Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie is certainly deserved and he gives others in the category a run for their money.

In the scenes that aren’t his, well, there are few that are memorable and as powerful, so there’s a bit of an imbalance here. It doesn’t flow as well as it could have. That said, I’d say it’s still definitely worth watching for the compelling Cranston and history here. And if there’s ever a revival of the play, count me in to see it.

Bonus Features:
* Bryan Cranston Becoming LBJ (1:55 minutes) – This brief feature barely gives us anything new that you haven’t heard before if you’ve been following Bryan Cranston on the press trail for this movie. At barely 2 minutes, it doesn’t go into much depth and therefore, it’s a miss.

Appearing in This Feature:
Makeup Department Head, Bill Corso
Hair Department Head, Anne Morgan
Costume Designer, Daniel Orlandi
Cast Member, Bryan Cranston

* All the Way: A Walk Through History (10:05 minutes) – In this feature, the history of segregation in the 50s and 60s as well as Lyndon Johnson’s move from VP to President and the movements closest to him are discussed by historians, the director, writer, and main cast members of the film. It’s a pretty solid feature, so if there’s one feature you’re going to watch, let it be this one.

Appearing in This Featuring:
Historian, Michael Eric Dyson
Writer & Executive Producer, Robert Schenkkan
Historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Historian, Andrew Young
Director, Jay Roach
Cast Member, Bryan Cranston, Anthony Mackie

Own All the Way on Blu-ray and DVD September 6, 2016.