All the Way is a 2016 American biographical drama television film based on events during the first year of the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson, from his inauguration following the assassination of John F. Kennedy to winning the 1964 United States presidential election. Directed by Jay Roach and adapted by Robert Schenkkan from his 2012 play All the Way, the film stars Bryan Cranston, who reprises his role as Johnson from the play's 2014 Broadway production, opposite Melissa Leo as First Lady Lady Bird Johnson; Anthony Mackie as Civil Rights Movement leader Martin Luther King Jr.; and Frank Langella as U.S. Senator Richard Russell Jr. from Georgia.
The film was broadcast on HBO on Saturday, May 21, 2016. The film has received positive reviews, with praise for Cranston's performance. It has been nominated for a Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials, with Cranston also nominated for Individual Achievement in Drama for his work on the film. It was nominated for eight Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Television Movie as well as acting nominations for Cranston and Leo.
Plot In 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson becomes President of the United States after the John F. Kennedy assassination, assisted and advised by his wife Lady Bird. Johnson enters the White House but soon must work on the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Martin Luther King Jr. pressures Johnson to pass the bill without amendments that would weaken it; Southern Democrats such as Richard Russell Jr. of Georgia oppose the bill so much that they may abandon the Democratic Party if the bill passes, and Republicans and Democrats on the fence offer amendments opposed by the liberals and the Civil Rights activists. At the same time, Johnson wants to declare the War on Poverty. The Gulf of Tonkin incident causes Johnson to ask Congress for a resolution endorsing a reprisal against North Vietnam, wary of being outflanked on the issue by the Republicans.
After successful passage of the Civil Rights Act over a filibuster, Johnson contends for election against Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election. This is complicated by the Freedom Summer movement and pulls between the northern liberal wing and Southern Dixiecrat wing of the Democratic Party. Johnson assigns J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in Mississippi. The state of Mississippi also sends two delegations to the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City: the "normal" delegation from the Dixiecrat wing, which threatened to walk out on Johnson, and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), a renegade wing supported by the Civil Rights Movement, but vehemently opposed by other Southerners. Johnson, in a bid to save the South, offers the MFDP a compromise that satisfies neither side; the Mississippi delegation walks out, and the MFDP is unhappy with the two at-large delegates offered to them.
Johnson hits Goldwater hard in the election, portraying him as a dangerous fanatic who will destroy the world, but is worried. Johnson's aide and friend Walter Jenkins is arrested for "disorderly conduct" after he is found having sex with another man in a public restroom; Johnson has an uncomfortable conversation with Hoover on how this fact slipped by security screening. Martin Luther King wins the Nobel Peace Prize; Hoover, still distrusting King, sends him an insulting, anonymous letter demanding King commit suicide, which is ignored. Johnson wins the election conclusively, but the Democratic Party loses the states of the Deep South. After a phone call with Russell, Johnson ends with a monologue expressing intense paranoia towards those around him.
Cast
Bryan Cranston as President Lyndon B. Johnson Anthony Mackie as Martin Luther King Jr. Melissa Leo as First Lady Lady Bird Johnson Frank Langella as Senator Richard B. Russell Jr. Bradley Whitford as Senator Hubert H. Humphrey Jr. Stephen Root as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover Marque Richardson as Bob Moses Aisha Hinds as Fannie Lou Hamer Todd Weeks as Walter Jenkins Regi Davis as Aaron Henry Mo McRae as Stokely Carmichael Spencer Garrett as Walter Reuther Ken Jenkins as Representative Howard W. "Judge" Smith Jeff Doucette as Senator James Eastland Randy Oglesby as Senator J. Strom Thurmond Samantha Bogach as Luci Johnson Tim True as Deke Deloach Bruce Nozick as Stanley Levison Ned Van Zandt as Senator J. William Fulbright Joe O'Connor as Senator Robert Byrd Hal Landon Jr. as Speaker John McCormack Dan Desmond as Representative Bill McCulloch Stoney Westmoreland as Representative James C. Corman Ray Wise as Senator Everett M. Dirksen Eric Pumphrey as Dave Dennis Dohn Norwood as Ralph Abernathy Joe Morton as Roy Wilkins Toby Huss as Governor Paul B. Johnson Jr. Matthew Glave as Governor Carl Sanders Bo Foxworth as Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara
Production
On July 16, 2014, it was announced that HBO Films had acquired the rights to the play All the Way with Robert Schenkkan writing the adaptation and Bryan Cranston reprising his role as Lyndon B. Johnson. Schenkkan and producer Steven Spielberg agreed that the adaptation would differ significantly from the play. Schenkkan says, "When Steven, Bryan Cranston and I brought this to HBO, what I said at the time was, 'Look, I have no interest in just shooting the play. What I want to do is a complete cinematic reimagining of this story.' Everybody was on board for that. It's obviously recognizably the same story with many – but not all – of the same characters. I took a really hard look at how I could best tell this story on screen now that I had all the things that cinema brings that I did not have in my toolkit when I was working on stage."
On March 7, 2015, it was announced that Jay Roach would direct the film. On June 30, 2015, Anthony Mackie was cast as Martin Luther King Jr. On July 2, 2015, Melissa Leo was cast as Lady Bird Johnson. On July 8, 2015, Stephen Root and Marque Richardson were cast as J. Edgar Hoover and Bob Moses, respectively. On July 23, 2015, Bradley Whitford was cast as Hubert Humphrey. On July 23, 2015, Aisha Hinds, Spencer Garrett, Todd Weeks, and Mo McRae were cast as Fannie Lou Hamer, Walter Reuther, Walter Jenkins, and Stokely Carmichael, respectively. On July 28, 2015, Frank Langella was cast as Richard Russell Jr. On September 18, 2015, Bruce Nozick was cast as Stanley Levison. On September 29, 2015, Ned Van Zandt was cast as J. William Fulbright.
Principal photography began on August 13, 2015, and took place in Los Angeles.
Reception
Critical response The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 85%, based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Anchored by Bryan Cranston's phenomenal performance as LBJ, All the Way is an engrossing portrayal of a complicated man during a pivotal moment in US history." On Metacritic the film has a score of 78 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Viewership All the Way drew approximately 1.11 million total viewers and a 0.2 rating among adults 18–49, making it the second most watched (at the time it aired) HBO original movie behind 2015's Bessie.
Accolades Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref. Critics' Choice Awards Best Movie/Miniseries Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries Bryan Cranston Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/ Miniseries Frank Langella Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries Melissa Leo Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Score – TV Show/Miniseries James Newton Howard Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Motion Picture Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Limited Series Bryan Cranston Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Limited Series Melissa Leo Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Limited Series Best Cinematography in a Non-Series Best Costume Design in a Non-Series Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Non-Series Best Music in a Non-Series Best Production Design in a Non-Series Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Television Movie Steven Spielberg, Robert Schenkkan, Bryan Cranston, Jay Roach, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, James Degus, Michelle Graham, and Scott Ferguson Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Bryan Cranston Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Melissa Leo Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie Jay Roach Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie Anne Morgan, Terrie Velazquez-Owen, Brian Andrew-Tunstall, Julia Holdren, Barry Rosenberg, and Quan Pierce Outstanding Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) Bill Corso, Francisco X. Perez, and Sabrina Wilson Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup Bill Corso, Francisco X. Perez, Sabrina Wilson, and Andrew Clement Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) James Newton Howard Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials Individual Achievement in Drama Bryan Cranston American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television Carol Littleton American Society of Cinematographers Awards Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Television Movie, Miniseries, or Pilot for Television Jim Denault Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Miniseries Jay Roach Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film Bryan Cranston Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards Best Special Makeup Effects – Television Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Bill Corso and Andrew Clement Satellite Awards Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Bryan Cranston Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Melissa Leo Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Bryan Cranston
See also 1956 Sugar Bowl Civil rights movement Civil rights movement in popular culture
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