Going All the Way

1997 "In love and life there's only one way to go."
5.7| 1h50m| R| en| More Info
Released: 19 September 1997 Released
Producted By: Gramercy Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Korean War--era veterans and ex-classmates "Gunner" Casselman and "Sonny" Burns reunite upon their return home. Gunner, who spent the war years abroad, is trying to convince his mother that his gal Marty is good enough for him, while Sonny, who was stationed stateside, is torn between loyal Buddy and tempting Gale Ann. As they commiserate, the men realize that they're outgrowing the lives they lived before the war.

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Reviews

Scanialara You won't be disappointed!
ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
TxMike I stumbled upon this movie while looking for old Affleck movies on Netflix streaming. I hesitated to see it, because of the title, it led me to believe it was just a silly "horny teenager" flick, but it isn't that at all. Yes, there is a strong element of young men, fresh from the Army, wanting to get pretty girls in the sack, but that is subordinate to the overall theme. I like to think the title refers more to a young man "going all the way" to follow his instincts and become what he really wants to be.I can't say enough about the performance of Jeremy Davies as Sonny Burns, I consider it "award worthy" and am surprised to see he was not nominated for anything. Sonny was a typical nerdy guy in school, small and unathletic, he was the class photographer. Even in the military, instead of going to Korea to fight, he had an office job in Kansas City. It is 1954 and as Sonny is discharged and taking a train home he meets up old high school classmate with Ben Affleck Gunner as Casselman, so nicknamed because he had a good arm as a pitcher, and was a "natural" at sports. Sonny of course remembers him, everyone knew Gunner, but was surprised to find that Gunner remembered who Sonny was. To his surprise also, Gunner seemed genuinely interested in swapping stories of life and being friends. It seems the war and military had given him a better perspective on life. Affleck in this early role is very effective, I could find no flaw in his performance.Sonny returns to his high school sweetheart, Amy Locane as Buddy Porter, and she was anxious to rekindle their romance. But in the end Sonny just wasn't in it, he liked and respected Buddy but when he was honest with himself, could never love her like she needed. Jill Clayburgh was Sonny's overbearing mother, still wanting to treat him like a little boy. Encouraging him to attend to Buddy, stating that she would make a good wife. When Sonny asked why she never served him bacon or ham for breakfast, she dismissed him with "you know your stomach can't take grease early in the day." Sill her little boy.The story is a drama, about these 24-yr-old young men, fresh from the Army, trying to figure out their next steps in life. Gunner breaking away from his mother who seems to be a bit too attached to her son, Sonny breaking away from his parents and girlfriend, and the promise of a job at Eli Lilly. Sonny desperately trying to "find himself." But the movie is also loaded with L.O.L. funny scenes. I grew up in the 1950s, my B.I.L. was in the Army and served in Korea, so this movie brought back memories from way back. Overall their depiction of that period is very accurate.And overall this is a fine movie, much better than its IMDb rating would suggest. It was nice also to see such actors as Rose McGowan and Rachel Weisz in early roles.SPOILERS: Sonny was driving at night in the rain, Gunner as a passenger, and they wrecked into a tree. Gunner was unharmed, Sonny had to be in a cast for 2 months. He received a few postcards from Gunner in New York, having followed a girl (Weisz) there. When he was barely healthy enough he took a train, one-way, to New York, determined to make his own way through life.
madshell "Going All The Way" has that same problem I tend to encounter in lower budget films: the what-genre-is-this-really? problem. By no means is this a comedy; it's drama -- or at least, it's a "comedy" that concentrates too much on being a very very upset film about an inwardly-angry main character, Sonny (Davies).Sonny had just come back from the war, which might have been more pleasant for him than his regular life. On the way home he meets Gunner (Affleck), a fast-talking moving guy who wants to get real with his life.Davies begins to get a taste of the good side of things -- namely sex -- but can't handle his own self during his moments of intimacy, which the filmmaker decides to illustrate in indulgent detail. We are trapped with Sonny in his psychosis. Sound like comedy yet? I didn't get the joke."Going all the way" ... back to the video store for me!
Pezkid! I may be in the minority here, and in fact I probably am, but I LOVED this movie. The play is amazing, and the adaptation is so true to the original that it really makes the experience enjoyable. I'd like to clear one thing up that I read earlier: it's not a "suicide" scene. It's a "cutting" scene. The two are very different, and shouldn't be confused.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. It's worth seeing, and for me, is worth buying on DVD whenever it freakin' comes out. I give it a 10 and stand by that rating based on its emotional merit and strength.
cooper-19 This is a great movie. Brilliantly acted, especially by Jeremy Davies, but also ably supported by Ben Affleck, it is sometimes very painful to watch and one of the very rare examples of a movie about post-adolescent angst that really works. Very moving, and the director as well as Davies ( the weedy guy in Saving Private Ryan) deserve to be very big.