Product: Going All the Way (1997)
Rating: 4.0
A film with real depths to it
The lowdown:Going All the Way is a touching story about learning to let go, coming to terms with yourself, love, and the power of friendship between two young men whose relationship "is the core of the movie," says MTV Award-winning music video director Mark Pellington, whose debut film shows that he clearly knows what he's doing, and that his talents can be set on more than one profession. Pellington tackles the challenge of presenting two authentic young men who we can relate to, and passes with flying colours.Jeremy Davies is perfect for these kinds of rolls, where he plays a shy, secretive, insecure young man trapped in a boy's body, who's trying to escape his parent's domination... having played two such intriguing rolls in one year, in Going All the Way and in John Patrick Kelley's equally enchanting and moving (but ultimately a little too broody) The Locusts. And although at war with his parents, he also wants to try and make up for all the lonely years he spent in high school masturbating over fevered fantasies beyond the reach of fulfillment. I mean, sure he's got Buddy (just the name makes me cringe) but she's much too available and overall not the sort of woman out of his skin mags who'll sweep him off his feet. Sonny Burns' life is enough to drive anyone to the rubber room, and you truly share his pain. At times, it may have seemed as though he has finally reached that flight of stairs, merely to once again find himself at the very bottom of where he started, of his ultimate goal... to happiness. Jeremy's brooding, partially-mumbled performance perfectly captures his underlying disarray, insecurities, and anger. The thing that's so unique about him is that, while he'll make you sympathise for his suffering at times, he can be so funny at others, that he'll also make you laugh like there's no tomorrow; not many actors have the capability to do that.This may not be the film that claimed Ben Affleck to fame (Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy was) but it sure was enough of one to really get him noticed (after that, it was no more playing the vileness bully for this guy, I'll tell ya that right now). The man's very presence commands the screen. You watch him, and he's just so cool and casual, that you feel as though he's not even acting at all; he's an expert. When you observe his character, Gunner Casselman, you basically have to look through his physical features, because that rebellious, tough-guy looking image he's given doesn't really say a lot about him since his visit to Japan. We see him depart from his rowdy old high school buddies in a bar to hang around with little old Sonny (even Sonny himself was surprised, as we were, seconds prior to them leaving the scene, driven to a surreal trip inside his head and learned that he thought he was being made fun of), who he'll drag along to art galleries and also take pictures with since Sonny shared his love of picture taking with him. When I look at Gunner, what I see is a hunk with a heart of gold and a fresh outlook on life, who's really begun to discover himself and whose goal is to go to New York because that's not only where he thinks a future career awaits him but it's also a place where he won't have to deal with his naggy mother and her discrimination against his Jewish girlfriend (and Jews in general). I also perceive that he's quite impressed by Sonny, thinking that, while he scored all those touchdowns and lured the girls with his bod and charm back in his high school years, he was an intellectual, when really he spent those very years masturbating if not watching him with awe.Aside from the catchy oldies tunes, I really enjoyed the dialogue the two young men shared with one another, which was as absorbing as it is true. Among all, one in particular comes to mind, where Gunner was trying to prove a point that "peach pie is fine, but that's all you get? I mean, morning, noon, and night, peach pie? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, peach pie. Peach pie, day in, day out. Day in, peach pie." Jeremy and Ben were terrific together. As improbable a coalition as their character's had, I thought that they, nonetheless, had perfect chemistry together, and were very enjoyable to watch.Going All the Way is based upon Dan Wakefield's enormously popular novel (one of my favourites, as a matter of fact). Mark Pellington read it at the early age of thirteen after he discovered it sitting in his father's shelf, and immediately fell in love with it. Sixteen years later, he showed his love with the making of the film, which I thank him for, because it's one of a kind. It's a film with real depths to it, that is of a true depiction of the male mind.