All the Way (2016) Online

2016 Bryan Cranston Anthony Mackie Melissa Leo Jay Roach

Original Title :: All the Way
Genre :: Movie / Biography / Drama / History
Year :: 2016
Directror :: Jay Roach
Cast :: Bryan Cranston,Anthony Mackie,Melissa Leo
Writer :: Robert Schenkkan,Robert Schenkkan
Type :: Movie
Time :: 2h 12min
Rating :: 7.3/10

Lyndon Johnson becomes the President of the United States in the chaotic aftermath of John F. Kennedy's assassination and spends his first year in office fighting to pass the Civil Rights Act.

All the Way (2016) Online

November 22, 1963. President John F. Kennedy has just been assassinated and Vice President Lyndon Johnson is now President. One of his first acts as President is to reaffirm the US government's intention to pass the Civil Rights Act. This Act was drafted while JFK was in office and gives people of all races the same rights, including voting rights, access to education and access to public facilities. However, he faces strong opposition to the bill, especially from within his own party. He will have to use all his political will and cunning to get it through.

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Bryan Cranston	-	Lyndon B. Johnson
	Anthony Mackie	-	Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
	Melissa Leo	-	Lady Bird Johnson
	Frank Langella	-	Senator Richard Russell
	Bradley Whitford	-	Senator Hubert Humphrey
	Stephen Root	-	J. Edgar Hoover
	Todd Weeks	-	Walter Jenkins
	Ray Wise	-	Senator Everett Dirksen
	Ken Jenkins	-	Rep. 'Judge' Smith
	Dohn Norwood	-	Ralph Abernathy
	Mo McRae	-	Stokely Carmichael
	Marque Richardson	-	Bob Moses
	Aisha Hinds	-	Fannie Lou Hamer
	Joe Morton	-	Roy Wilkins
	Eric Pumphrey	-	David Dennis

Right after President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Senator Dick Russell (Frank Langella) walks off into an adjoining room, obviously very upset. He's then seen standing and looking at a painting of President Harry S. Truman, as Johnson comes into the same room after him. The reason this is important is because President Truman unsuccessfully tried passing a major Civil Rights Bill in 1948, and Russell, a segregationist, had a leading role in blocking Truman's bill. Russell had a long track record for defeating civil rights legislation via use of the filibuster. However, he was unsuccessful in his leadership and efforts to defeat Johnson's bill.

The film's source "All the Way" play won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Play and Bryan Cranston won Best Actor in a Play for his role as President Lyndon Johnson.

The film was made and first released about four years after its source Tony Award winning play by Robert Schenkkan had been first performed in 2012. Schenkkan also penned the tele-play for this tele-movie. The play also starred Bryan Cranston as Lyndon Johnson who reprised his role in this movie.

Many of the scenes in the film are based upon real transcripts and conversations.

President Lyndon Johnson plays a practical joke on Hubert H. Humphrey by driving his open-top car directly into a lake, but the car is able to float. The car is the famous Amphicar, built from 1961 to 1965, and the incident is based on reality in that Johnson did own an Amphicar, and he would play this exact trick on his friends.

Frank Langella's 6'3" height had to be concealed from the camera during filming, since the real Richard Russell was actually shorter than Lyndon Johnson (reflected in a famous photograph of Johnson leaning over Russell)

President Lyndon Johnson continued the FBI's wiretapping of Martin Luther King Jr. that was previously authorized by the Kennedy Administration of President John F. Kennedy. As a result of listening to the FBI's tapes, remarks on King's extra-marital activities were made by several prominent officials, including Johnson, who once said that King was a "hypocritical preacher."

Lyndon Johnson was succeeded in office by Richard Nixon, who was played by Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon (2008). Director Jay Roach claimed that Langella would have fun between takes slipping into character as Nixon.

Director Jay Roach's fourth movie about elections and campaigns. He previously directed Recount (2008), Game Change (2012), and The Campaign (2012).

The film portrays Martin Luther King's Nobel Prize acceptance speech for being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 as being just before the election on 3rd November that year, but it actually occurred on 10th December of '64.

President Lyndon Johnson (Bryan Cranston) sends FBI agents to investigate the three missing freedom fighter boys in Mississippi. These events are portrayed in the movie Mississippi Burning (1988).

Second collaboration between Bryan Cranston and director Jay Roach. Cranston previously starred in Trumbo (2015).

Lyndon Johnson is one of four people who have served as President and Vice President, as well as in both houses of Congress.

Stephen Root, who plays J. Edgar Hoover, was previously in J. Edgar (2011) with Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role.

Though Lyndon Johnson was a naval officer, he has a Marine Corps flag in the Oval Office. There is no service flag in the replica Oval Office at the LBJ Presidential Museum.

The film cast includes one Oscar winner: Melissa Leo; and two Oscar nominees: Bryan Cranston and Frank Langella.

The footage shows the Swedish Nobel comittee announcing the Peace prize when in effect it is the Norwegian comittee that awards and announces the prize.

Kevin Dunn previously played J. Edgar Hoover in Chaplin (1992). Stephen Root portrays Hoover in All the Way (2016)

Bradley Whitford was previously married to Jane Kaczmarek, who played Bryan Cranston's wife on Malcolm in the Middle (2000).

Ray White plays Senator Everett Dirksen (R - IL), but has played the US President in Command & Conquer: Red Alert II and its add-on sequel Command & Conquer: Red Alert II - Yuri's Revenge. Both games from Westwood / Electronic Arts

Actors Ray Wise and Bryan Cranston both previously appeared in How I Met Your Mother (2005).

One of two Bryan Cranston films in the same year that have connections to LBJ, the other one being Cranston's part as the title character in Wakefield (2016) who is shown reading a book about President Johnson.

Actors Ray Wise and Frank Langella both previously appeared in Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005).

One of two features films about Lyndon Johnson which were made and first released in the year of 2016. The films are LBJ (2016) and All the Way (2016).

Bryan Cranston and Ray Wise have both played Commissioner Gordon in animated Batman features. Cranston played the part in Batman: Year One (2011), while Wise played the part in Batman: The Killing Joke (2016). On 'Gotham (2015)(TV)', the part is played by Ben McKenzie, who is Robert Schenkkan's nephew.

While discussing what happened to Walter Jenkins, President Lyndon Johnson (Bryan Cranston) discusses the certain male mannerisms with J. Edgar Hoover (Stephen Root). Hoover himself was an alleged closeted cross-dresser.

User reviews

Marilore

...is that it shines a light on LBJ's very significant accomplishments (civil rights, voting rights, Medicare, Medicaid) which were largely wiped from my generation's collective consciousness. This film ends with Johnson's sweeping election victory in 1964, but by 1968 he became one of the most despised presidents in history for his escalation of the war in Vietnam.

For those of us who lived through this era, this sort of biopic is a hard sell. We remember all too vividly the reality of Johnson, Humphrey, King, and all the rest. It's petty to remark that Dr. King didn't have the movie star looks of Anthony Mackie. Or that Hubert Humphrey was a lot plumper than Bradley Whitford, and his high pitched staccato speaking voice beyond Whitford's reach. Other characters are done either spot on or way off. I suppose no one could capture the essence of Sen. Dirksen without coming dangerously close to Foghorn Leghorn. But Bob McNamara looks right, and the always reliable Stephen Root brings the right manic intensity to his J. Edgar Hoover.

Ultimately it's Bryan Cranston who makes the sell. He's utterly convincing. We feel we're seeing LBJ on screen. Only occasionally does the facade crack to show the actor underneath. But for the most part it's uncanny--if not a little eerie--how accurately he portrays Johnson.

The script is about what you expect for a biopic. The kind of exposition necessary to explain who is who and what is what. It's tiresome for those of us who lived through it, but a necessary evil I suppose for anyone under age fifty. And for those under thirty who seem to have got a college degree without knowing much about anything, this will be a useful primer on the early 60s.

Kelezel

November, 1963. President John F Kennedy has just been assassinated and Vice President Lyndon Johnson (played by Bryan Cranston) is now President. One of his first acts as President is to reaffirm the US government's intention to pass the Civil Rights Act. This Act was drafted while JFK was in office and gives people of all races the same rights, including voting rights, access to education and access to public facilities. However, he faces strong opposition to the bill, especially from within his own party. He will have to use all his political will and cunning to get it through.

Incredibly engaging drama, showing the passage of a major and historic piece of legislation in US history. Quite an eye-opener: hard to believe that in 1963/4 there was such a huge North-South divide and that racism was so rampant. Also amazing to see that some of the strongest opposition to integration was from Democrats - the left-wing/right-wing lines were clearly quite blurred in those days.

Fascinating insight into the personality of LBJ. On the surface he seems like a man wanting to what is right for his fellow man. However, his motives are not always that altruistic, and his actions are often more driven by personal power than good intentions (which would be common to almost all politicians, I guess, so not such a huge surprise). Highly complex, we see what drives him, especially how his childhood experiences shape his motivations and thinking.

Quite balanced too. We see LBJ, warts and all: his temper, his treatment of staff and wife, his colourful language, what he'll do to win. He's hardly a saint.

Superb performance by Bryan Cranston in the lead role. He inhabits the character of LBJ.

A story that needed to be told.

Jesmi

Bryan Cranston brings Lyndon Johnson to life in this absorbing real life drama focusing on 1964 when LBJ not only got a major civil rights bill passed, but set the stage for the 1965 voting rights act and the war on poverty. Cranston's portrayal is uncanny, and turns this made for HBO movie into a quasi-documentary. Cranston carries this movie and makes it one of the best television events of the year. The rest of the cast is excellent too but in some cases, the actors don't look enough like the characters they are playing: Hubert Humphery and Martin Luther King Jr., come to mind. The storyline is fairly well known to anyone who follows politics and U.S. history, but the behind the scene's maneuvering to get a very major bill passed makes for great story telling and LBJ was one of the great story tellers. The stories told by LBJ are the glue that holds this movie together. His poor upbringing gave him the resolve to do something about helping the poor once he got into office. And of course he saw first hand in his home state of Texas, the massive racism that prevented blacks from taking their rightful place in American society. No doubt LBJ could have been a candidate for Mt. Rushmore were it not for Vietnam which is explored in the movie but not in-depth. That should be a sequel. Melissa Leo is wonderful as Lady Bird Johnson, and Frank Langella is excellent as Senator Richard Russell. This is a must see movie. Cranston will be picking up more awards.

Gavirus

This portrayal of the 1963/1964 Johnson presidency is not only excellent but BRILLIANT. The acting was flawless about an era I knew well. The acting was so good I forgot about who was portraying whom. Bryan Cranston cannot be lauded enough.

Our nation is on the precipice of returning to those noxious racist-filled days as we are poised to elect a wingnut demagogue to office supported by many racist whites even of the KKK and white nationalist supremacist variety. Have we learned NOTHING from our tragic racist past? Is Vietnam but a memory and the race relations of Jim Crow tucked away neatly in the crevices of our national mind? I surely hope not but suspect they are.

Each and every American would do well to see this film and relive the 1964 shame-filled era of our nation and the legacy of its Civil War. Ultimately the war, though Union won, is still being fought and not only in the battlefield of the south but in the fields of the entire nation.

Oso

All the Way

An impressive cast, centered around the LBJ actor Bryan Cranston, keeps the historical facts alive and relevant.

We often forget Johnson the president between Kennedy and Nixon. He was the most responsible for Vietnam, but also for a huge range of social programs that really make him the ultimate big government guy since Roosevelt. But important programs like Medicare and social legislation like the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Act. Seeing him struggle to make it happen is a kind of poker game, and he does it with famously Johnson candor and humor.

There's no getting around the fact that these are facts. There are no dramatic surprises here (so it's like seeing a movie the second time). But it's a good movie—one that you can see a second time and get a lot from it. There are weak points (some miscast figures like, unfortunately, Martin Luther King Jr. who is played by Anthony Mackie), but overall the drama of the events is kept intense and pertinent.

And Cranston is sublime. If you know him from "Breaking Bad" you will surprised by his depth here. See him, at least. And Johnson, too.

Ballalune

There are a lot of complimentary things one could say about HBO's "All The Way": great acting, historical ambiance, and cohesion of narrative. What really makes this a truly great film, however, is how its themes are just as relevant and striking here and now as they were in the 1960s.

For a basic plot summary, "All The Way" tells the story of President Lyndon B. Johnson's (Bryan Cranston) first year in office. The primary focus is on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the type of political and social upheaval/compromises that here undertaken to make it a reality. Key personal/political figures of the early Johnson Administration also feature heavily, such as Martin Luther King Jr. (Anthony Mackie), Lady Bird (Melissa Leo), Senator Richard Russell (Frank Langella), Senator Hubert Humphrey (Bradley Whitford), & J. Edgar Hoover (Stephen Root).

It is amazing (and equal parts inspiring and sad) to watch "All The Way" and understand how the Civil Rights Act was neither the beginning nor the end of race issues in this country. In this current era of Black Lives Matter and other racial-based demonstrations fighting for justice, the struggles of Dr. King, the NAACP, the American government, and the populace at large are driven home even further (as they are so much on the forefront of politics and society right now).

Acting-wise, the performances are solid all-around, with Cranston especially shining (when does he ever not?!) as LBJ (from what I have read/seen, an uncanny resemblance in terms of mannerisms). Cranston first inhabited this role on Broadway in 2014, so it makes sense that he is the most comfortable here.

Thus, with the combination of tremendous acting and incredibly relevant themes, I consider "All The Way" to be a biopic of the highest order (my only slight complaint would be it perhaps could have been trimmed by 15 minutes or so). I'm a big fan of the biopic genre, as I feel like it has so much power (along with a high degree of responsibility, obviously) to bring the past alive and more relate-able than a textbook or tome ever could. "All The Way" succeeds wildly in this regard.

I am hcv men

My comment is not about the movie itself but about the totally biased characterization it gives of LBJ. This movie/TV show is part of a grand design to rebuild the image of the USA and of its "grand leaders". LBJ here looks as if he was a perfect human being, caring for the blacks and a totally remarkable and laudable person. May be he was for this HR fight, but it shades all the rest,the notoriously corrupt politician, and the likely to be underground leader of the plot who killed Kennedy. Read all the books about him.

I think it is worth to be mentioned.

And BTW how unsound is this rule that you need to write 10 lines to make a point?

Change this !Please

JoldGold

"Everybody wants power, and if they say they don't they're lying." After the assassination of President Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson (Cranston) takes over and immediately goes to work on a Civil Rights bill. He throws everything he has behind it and loyalty, friendships and alliances are forged and lost in his quest for this dream. This is a movie that is right in my wheelhouse. I love politics and history, particularly the JFK assassination. I was really excited about watching this one. The movie takes place immediately after the assassination and doesn't hold anything back when it comes to Johnson. His paranoia, inadequacy, harshness and rudeness is fully on display. That really adds to the overall accuracy of the movie. Cranston does such an amazing job in this role that it is hard to actually believe it is him. The movie does an almost flawless job of showing the enigma that is President Johnson's quest for Civil Rights. On one hand everything he is fighting with everything he has to get equality, which is extremely admirable and is something to be commended. On the other hand, the way in which he does it makes enemies out of just about everyone, and leaves him unhappy and still paranoid about his legacy. As a reader and avid fan of history this movie seemed very accurate and because of that I highly recommend this. Overall, one of, if not, the best TV movie ever made, Cranston is incredible and this is one of the best historical movies I have seen. I loved this, but again, this is in my wheelhouse. I give this an A+.

Kiaile

"HBO" still sets the standard for making original movies as their films of real life drama and political pictures are still simply the best! "All the Way" adapted from a play tells the years of the 1960's and the years of the Lyndon Jonhson presidency starting with the "JFK" killing to when Johnson becomes president it's a crazy and troubled time in the country. As the Vietnam war is still raging and the Democrats in the south still are still not liking black folks. Well a lot is about to change president Johnson is about to passing the civil rights act of 1964 that would give blacks rights and equality to vote and have the same freedom that the whites have. Still it's a struggle to get passed thru the congress and senate as the republicans and southern democrats fight it.

Yet thru backroom political under the table deals and promises and with the help of Dr. Martin Luther King and the coalition of blacks especially those in the south it is passed and this helps spur Johnson the southern draw twang talking Texan to stay into the white house in the 1964 presidential election as he wins big with the southern and black vote over republican nominee Barry Goldwater. This film was showcased as a political and social cultural triumph and Bryan Cranston hams it up as president Johnson give him a golden globe or acting award. Overall "All the Way" is one well done original film that shows cultural and social political significance that would become important for race, democracy, and freedom of justice and peace of mind for many.

Exellent

Bryan Cranston's performance as US President LBJ, is simply stunning. If you thought, as I did, Cranston was brilliant in the recent movie Trumbo, wait till you see this movie. Whilst LBJ himself might not have been the most exciting of US Presidents, he did have a profound depth of eccentricity, southern character, a plethora of foibles, and was a master manipulator. Cranston delivers LBJ with possibly even more depth than the man himself had. Every movement, every look, every gesture and every single word Cranston offers, is a joy to behold. The performance is so natural,and so subtly done even at a microscopic level, the viewer has no choice but to believe it is not Cranston at all, but is LBJ himself. This actor has taken his craft to an even greater level, in what was already a magnificent career. The standards are very high in this movie and all of the cast and team deserve the accolades that will no doubt be given. Many congratulations Mr. Cranston.

Weernis

I can't help but think this film was produced in response to Selma, which accurately depicted the black grassroots struggle as the driving force behind the civil rights legislation of the 1960s and LBJ as a politician who reluctantly conceded their demands. The white elites are so thin-skinned and egotistical that one single little-watched film not painting them as the saviors of humanity is just too much for them to handle. So they quickly set out to erase the small sliver of credit that the film industry awarded to activists and organizers and restore it to where it's always been wrongfully handed: wealthy white men.

The film thus put LBJ and his cronies front and center, showcasing them as the guiding forces and heroes of the Civil Rights movement. MLK and other activists who had spent years in the trenches fighting for equal rights, facing vicious harassment and persecution every step of the way, were just sidepieces and irritants. Women, who were also at the forefront of the struggle, were simply delicate appendages to their male counterparts.

The film does portray LBJ's vulgarity and belligerence, but consistently and unsurprisingly justifies his nasty behavior. The viewer walks away with the notion that LBJ willingly enacted benevolent legislation out of the goodness of his heart, rather than out of embarrassment and fear of losing international support to the anti-racist Soviet Union. This leaves the viewer with a favorable opinion of a cold-hearted man who is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of innocent Vietnamese civilians.

Frederick Douglass once said, "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will." While Selma brought this powerful quote to life in a rare depiction of the truth, "All the Way" made sure to erase it in order to ensure that 100% of the credit of our country's social gains remains with those who fought them tooth and nail. Whatever is needed to keep the masses venerating their rich oppressors, I suppose.

Xangeo

They left out what LBJ said about the Civil Rights Act of 1964, "...we'll be having these n****rs voting democrat for the next 100 years." This is something even SNOPES cannot discredit because LBJ routinely used language like that. This guy was a piece of garbage from the beginning. Even JFK admired Hitler in his youth. What a pair, JFK and Johnson, were.

Flas

There's no doubt that there are lots of strong performances in this movie: Cranston as LBJ, Leo as Lady Bird, Whitford as HHH, and Langella as "Uncle Dick" Russell. But you can tell this movie was based on a play, because, try as they might to infuse this movie with any action and excitement, the film is mostly a bore, and I found myself nearly dozing off multiple times. And maybe their portrayal of the sleaze of politics also bothered me, most notably with Humphrey coming up to MLK at the Democratic convention and bubbling over with enthusiasm about a "great deal" they reached with him when HHH knew it was a terrible deal. Finally, while Anthony Mackie is fine as MLK, he physically looks nothing like him, and since they made an effort to have so many other characters look like their real-life counterparts, Mackie's appearance stood out like a sore thumb.

Silver Globol

The problem with biopics like this one is that when we distinctly remember the real-life individuals depicted, the quality of the film is often judged by the performances of those actors who play the real-life characters. For that very reason, it's probably much easier to make a film about George Washington or Thomas Jefferson than it is to make one about Lyndon Johnson and Martin Luther King. The characterization of real-life characters here is a mixed bag, but overall I will give the producers and directors credit for doing a reasonably credible job.

Bryan Cranston does a superb job in portraying President Lyndon Johnson; a bit lean in the face, but otherwise spot on. His performance ought to be worth an Emmy.

On the other hand, Anthony Mackie -- whom I feel is a very good actor -- was, to me, totally unconvincing as Martin Luther King, Jr. The same with Melissa Leo as Lady Bird Johnson and Stephen Root as J. Edgar Hoover. Ned Van Zandt was totally unconvincing as Senator J. William Fulbright. Ray Wise was totally unconvincing as Senator Everett Dirksen.

On the other hand, Bradley Whitford -- never a favorite of mine -- grew on me as the film progressed with his portrayal of Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Thumbs up.

In terms of the story line followed -- I think it's an excellent script covering the time period from the assassination of President Kennedy to election night 1964. I would have to say that overall it is a favorable portrayal of LBJ, while not hiding any of his warts.

Seevinev

It's difficult to watch All the Way, especially near the end or in the last stretch of the film, and not think about the recent Ava DuVernay film Selma. That was all about the movement spearheaded by Dr. King to get the Voting Rights Act passed and the hurdles he had to get it done, not least of which was fully getting Lyndon Johnson to get it going faster than it was. I don't think All the Way, directed by Jay Roach (who is practically the go-to guy to helm movies, mostly for HBO, all about major political times and movements like Recount and Game Change and so on), may not be quite as powerful as Selma is - frankly I'm not sure Roach is as provocative and technically daring as DuVernay was in that film (but then again, who was compared to that film - but, and this is a big but, he does a lot with what he's given here. And the interesting thing with looking at both films is that the roles of Lyndon Johnson and King get reversed: King and Johnson were lead and supporting in Selma, so All the Way the former becomes the latter.

Now, it might seem like it's basic enough to plant this story and have it coast on the actors - not just Cranston, who is towering and commanding and yet wholly vulnerable and tender when he has his quiet moments, but also Melissa Leo, Anthony Mackie, Bradley Whitford, Stephen Root, and of course Frank Langella - and that could be enough. But anything that's really good and that can hopefully last for a while will have some resonance past its own historical and sociological interest. I think All the Way has that in spades, whether you're looking hard for it or not, as 1964 was simply a year that spoke to a lot of issues that affect a lot of people EVERY day.

It was hard for me to watch this and not think about things like the current horrors facing black people from whites in power (whether white cops or other discrimination across the country), and when congressmen and senators argue over Civil Rights their reasons seem not too far from those in North Carolina or other states when discussing bathroom laws. The themes run deep into what's been driving civil rights or equal rights or any rights in the US for decades. Even seeing how politicians bend or break or have to do this or that (even Dr. King with his compromises, which doesn't win him much love with his Freedom fighters at the DNC scenes which are tough to watch in a dramatically satisfying way) resonates today.

And with this material it has to be that way as the focus is about the politics of the Johnson in the White House, and Bryan Cranston has a character about as rich in depth as he'll ever get to play (and in case you're wondering that infamous "bunghole" bit with the tailor is shown but done early on enough so it can get out of the way in case you wonder when it'll come up, look it up if you don't know what I'm talking about, but I digress).

Johnson was a tough bastard to the people around him - indeed in this story of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act and the election against Barry Goldwater, often to people of his own party (though not on purpose, initially anyway) - and yet deep down, or plain in sight to those closest to him (a few key scenes that make an impact happen between the Johnsons, where you wonder how 'Bird' could put up with this guy for so long, in a good way), and had plenty of insecurities to wrestle with. He got the job by way of one of the major national tragedies of the century, and while he takes power it's initially uneasily held. Those insecurities also come from some of his background, where he was never really liked much by other party officials or other politicians. But when he has to, which is often, he'll make his presence known and won't back down. In other words, brutal and bull-headed, and yet a deeply committed liberal and man of conscience... until the foreign wars parts came in, anyway.

That last part is something I wish had been expounded on a little more; history like the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which propelled the US into Vietnam, is explored but briefly, almost as an aside. I can see what the thinking was by the writer, on the other hand: this was such a crucial year for Johnson for his domestic policy and for the election in general (the losing-of-the-South becomes a big focal point), and meanwhile this 'other' incident going on in Southeast Asia becomes more of a political point for him than something to ponder over as a 'well, it *didn't* technically happen, did it?' thing. It speaks more to how strong the material is, the writing of it, the acting of it, Roach's blocking (how he gets Cranston moving around a room IS direction, let's not forget that even as the cinematography and editing is standard), and the multiple layers of meaning in scenes and character motivation, that I only wish it were longer. But, as we see, history rolls on...

Winn

I can say without doubt that Cranston is as close to the real thing as I have seen. Close, but not complete. I grew up in Dallas during the assassination and remember Johnson very well from that time. This movie shows a lot more about the man then ever was shown during his presidency. Johnson was not known for his popularity and was not an icon like Kennedy. But I believe he did more for the nation than most Presidents before and after. One thing he was and that was a true Texan and touted that persona throughout his life. And as one Texan to another Johnson always showed his colors even though the rest of the nation did not understand it. I give him that. As for the only critique of Cranston I would say look at the real Johnson on past videos and then Cranston. Johnson was a little more quiet and subdued in front of cameras and the public eye. It was his back room political demeanor that made this man who he really was.

Cesar

While Lyndon Johnson's presidency was marred by his disastrous Vietnam policy, he was one of our most significant and important presidents in terms of social justice, passing laws that fought racism and pushed against poverty.

In All the Way's eagerness to show the good of Johnson, it sometimes pushes a little too far. Johnson is portrayed here as a sort of crude angel. Sure, he holds meetings from the toilet, but he single-handedly pushes through a civil rights bill!

I don't know much about the history of the civil rights bill, but I do know that politics is a vast, messy business that involves a lot of people and that even the noblest of politicians are still consumed with deal making and positioning and power. For me, this makes the LBJ portrayed in the movie a too simplistic. I am more interested with flawed humans whose angels sometimes beat down their demons to earthly saints.

In spite of my objections, though, this is a very entertaining, involving movie. Its main selling point is Bryan Cranston's amazing portrayal of LBJ. Cranston's LBJ is shrewd, calculating, noble, and briefly angsty. Cranston creates as much complexity as is possible within a role written with a lack of nuance.

The other performances are also quite solid, particularly Melissa Leo as the sweet but steel-spined Ladybird and Frank Langella as LBJ's mentor and occasional foe. Anthony Mackie plays a thoughtful MLK, but there is a slightness, both physical and oratorical, that is disappointing.

While I would have liked more complexity, this is a very entertaining movie that is well worth watching.

Ironrunner

History has not been kind to President Lyndon B. Johnson - inheriting essentially a poisoned chalice of a Presidency from the assassinated John F. Kennedy and The Bill of Civil Rights that had yet to be passed through congress. The political forces of the south are determined not to see that happen, thus Johnson finds himself in a political quagmire of trying to appease Martin Luther King and do what he knows is right on the one hand, while battling congress on the other.

Let's be clear from the beginning here - 'All The Way' is not just a film about Lyndon B. Jonhson, it is a film about what went on behind the scenes that led to the change in the law in America that led to desegregation and voting rights for all Americans. One of the reasons this film is so good is because it ably does both that and gives us a fly on the wall insight into a complicated man, Johnson and those around him during this period of history. Rarely does a film give us so much on so many levels.

Byran Cranston shows us all why he is one of the best American actors living today. He doesn't give us an impersonation of Johnson, he makes you believe your truly watching the man. No doubt this will be all but forgotten come Oscar time, but his performance is truly extraordinary and makes the film a must watch for this alone. It would have been easy for this film to play Johnson as one dimensional but he is truthfully depicted as not being below a few dirty tricks himself. The back and fourth between the two sides makes for compelling viewing in a story extremely well told.

However it would be remiss of me to not mention the other performances from the supporting cast, all of whom are universally excellent. Anthony Mackie brings his own steadfast performance to Martin Luther King while Stephen Root is the paranoid Hoover. Melissa Leo, an actress we really should see more of, is fantastic as the Presidents suffering wife.

The film covers many key moments of this turbulent part of US History. It's easy to see why actress Aisha Hinds never stops working in her riveting cameo as Fannie Lou Hamer, giving evidence of the despicable brutality meted on her while trying to register to vote. Equally Tod Weeks as the Presidents Chief of Staff is a beautiful seamless performance, that could have easily been lost in the shadow of Cranston, but ably holds your attention whenever he is on screen. Frank Langella is both confidant and adversary in the fatherly Senator Richard Russell, am actor I am always grateful to see.

The performances would be nothing however without a great script and to incorporate a sense of who all these characters were, the key events of the time, including the murder of the three civil rights workers and Johnson's numerous idiosyncrasies is nothing shorting amazing so credit must be given to the writer Robert Schenkkan for taking his play and transforming so well to the screen.

Johnson was a complex man and perhaps not an entirely likable one but this film brings to our attention that while Kennedy may have been the man who started The Bill for Civil Rights and Doctor King may have created the public pressure in which to light the fuse, it was the efforts of Johnson and his staff that finally got it pushed through. In his short tenure in office he also achieved a great many other things and was perhaps a far greater President than has been remembered by history. I am certain Johnson would have been happy with this portrayal of himself.

Highly recommended and easily one of my favorite films so far of 2016 and this coming from a Brit who has a limited interest in American politics.

Lcena

Looking every inch the physical personification of the character he's playing Bryan Cranston gives a magnificent, career-defining performance as LBJ in Jay Roach's superb television movie "All the Way" which deals with Johnson's first year in office and the problems he encountered when dealing with civil rights as well as his own campaign for re-election. In the role of Martin Luther King, Anthony Mackie is a tad too cool, (Mackie's blandness as an actor is certainly in evidence), but Melissa Leo is a highly credible Ladybird, Frank Langella a superb Richard Russell and Stephen Root a perfect J. Edgar Hoover. The brilliant script is by Robert Schenkkan from his own play.

Tygrafym

This television does a great job of trying to bring to life the struggle of a leader who got destroyed by a Vietnam War in History books. LBJ did so much, but the question of why he did what he did is what this history tries to show. While it does accurately address the events and a talented actor does bring life to him, it kind of misses script wise LBJ's real motivations to an considerable extent.

This starts with stark scenes of the immediate thrust into the Presidency after JFK's murder. While the scenes are stark here, the script shows an almost emotionless LBJ after an incident which touched the emotion of every American. His assumption of office is presented as sudden but the real LBJ would not be as wooden as this one.

From here, it does get better to an extent. It goes over all the major battles on race discrimination, and tries to present LBJ's encounters with MLK (Dr. King) and FBI head J.Edgar Hoover. It does show how cagey he could be maneuvering people to get what he wants. In his human side, it does a great job presenting how he feels he will die young because of others in his family.

Because this is a TV production, it mentions the great society programs but does not really go into the battles LBJ had getting them passed. The focus here is race and voting rights. By presenting a shallow picture of MLK here, it really makes it look too much like Johnson alone got this done.

This is presented deliberately into making the history say that because of this LBJ battle that the Democrats lost the South in the 1968 election because of Republicans, which is not really the true history. George Wallace really had more to do with the Humphrey loss in 1968 than Nixon.

Still, the LBJ Legend, and the 1968 spin which has been used make it look like Democrats are something they are not is still being sold as fact where the Democrats stand today, despite the fact that current leaders of that party had racists as mentors, is an interesting theory still being advanced in Education.

Between the lines stands LBJ, he is an important bridge in the history of equal rights, and the development of the most comprehensive programs addressing poverty and health care in the United States. Those accomplishments stand high above the presentation of them in this film. Medicare and Medicade funded what is now the most advanced health care system in the world. The equal rights is a landmark the rest of the world still trails behind the US. The trouble is current leaders are trying to destroy this legacy, and they should be ashamed of that.

Prorahun

Cranston? He had the good luck to get on one good television show but he is lucky, not talented. He tries too hard and it is painfully obvious when he inflects mannerisms we expect from LBJ. It is annoying, lip-smacking, guffawing, twitching, cursing, drinking – everything he does is planted, obvious, and insincerely done because he acts. He is not a natural. The story is interesting but again, it is told from the perspective of the writers, not necessarily historical. Did they intentionally get actors all shorter than Cranston so he would appear tall like LBJ? To those who did not live and play attention at the time these events took place, this is a movie, not a historical reenactment. On the up side, some of the characters do a great job or entertaining the viewer. Always remember to vote with your wallet – if an actor decides to tell us how to live, don't make them wealthier by seeing their work – entertain me, don't tell me how my country should be – I do not want your opinion.

Fawrindhga

all seems be a splendid embroidery. the atmosphere, LBJ proposed by Bryan Cranston, Melissa Leo as lady Bird Johnson, Frank Langella in the generous role of senator Russell, Anthony Mackie in the skin, far to be comfortable, of dr. Martin Luther King. the events are known but that is the virtue of film - to recreate the roots of essential decisions, to show debates and errors, to give the map of a struggle who change America. a film who becomes documentary in many scenes. and one of the most inspired portraits of an U.S. president. a film who presents the way of an year. and a man across a storm. and that does All the way more than a good work. but an useful support for reflection. about politics and about courage. about contemporary elections and about isles from old manner to understand the things. and, sure, about the admirable performance of Bryan Cranston.

Cheber

All the Way is a Bryan Cranston tour de force as Lyndon B Johnson ascending to the presidency on the back of JFK's assassination and looking at ways to leave his mark as President.

Cranston is unrecognisable under the heavy make up, something not afforded to costar Anthony Mackie who plays Martin Luther King.

The inspiration for this HBO film is Steve Spielberg's Lincoln as we look at the political machinations of the Dixiecrat Johnson in trying to succeed with the Civil Rights Bill yet at the same time dealing with the leading lights of the civil rights movement who are making waves in the Democratic Party and keeping in line the southern Democrats who have little in common with the fellow party members from the north.

The film is a little ponderous even flabby. Despite the stellar cast and shining performances by Melissa Leo and Frank Langella, the character of LBJ is let down by the writing, his unpleasantness, his complexities are not fully explored. I felt the whole thing to be rather uninvolving.

Gorisar

The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.

That's certainly a true statement about LBJ, portrayed by Bryan Cranston in "All the Way" from 2016. HBO adapted this from a play for which Cranston won a Tony Award.

Due to his disastrous handling of the Vietnam War, Johnson isn't highly regarded today at least by baby boomers. And yet Medicare, Medicaid, environmental protection, The 1964 Civil Rights Act, and a year later, giving blacks the right to vote, plus his War on Poverty -- all occurred during his presidency.

This film covers Johnson's presidency from the time of the assassination and stops before the end of his term in 1969.

Johnson came in at a time of incredible turmoil in this country - and it was interesting to watch and realize that some of the same issues of discrimination still exist - maybe a tad more subtly, but they're still there.Then there was the fear that if Goldwater was elected, he'd drop a nuclear bomb. This is something we still worry about.

A very seasoned and excellent politician, Johnson wasted no time twisting people until blood came out of them to support him.

When three men, one black, and two Jews, were killed in Mississippi while attempting to register blacks to vote, Johnson called the chief of police to ask about it. The Chief of Police claimed the men were arrested for speeding (lie 1) and released at 10 p.m. (lie 2). Johnson says wow, he'd really like an investigation and he would HATE to have to send the Federal marshalls. Or the FBI. The chief of police, of course, panicked.

Johnson fought with a man he considered to be his surrogate father, southern Senator Richard Russell (Frank Langella), over civil rights and actually winds up turning the entire south Republican after eons of voting Democrat.

Georgia was going to leave the democratic convention because the Freedom Democrats (blacks) wanted to be part of the vote for the nomination, and if Georgia goes, the rest of the south goes too. Johnson goes ballistic and screams to the chief delegate: "You need to make up your mind once-and-for-all, what kind of Christian you are? Are you a once-a-week fella or do you hold the word in your heart? What kind of politician are ya? Are you just out for yourself or do you want to make a better life for all the people in Georgia? What kind of man are ya? You've got the balls to do what you know is right, or do you just slink away?" Georgia doesn't leave.

Bryan Cranston is positively brilliant as LBJ, tough, uncompromising, sometimes nasty, compassionate but very political. The makeup work on some of the actors is astonishing: Bradley Whitford as Humphrey, Melissa Leo as Lady Bird (from a distance she looks exactly like her), Steven Root as Hoover, and Ray Wise as Everett Dirksen. Anthony Mackie was very good as Martin Luther King but lightweight for the role and looked too young, though I don't think he was.

The acting was top-notch, but it's Cranston's show, giving us a complex man, still suffering from his early poverty where he supported himself by picking grapes, still remembering the Mexican children he taught in Texas and the discrimination they faced, and determined to get his way at any cost.

Johnson's favorite quote was from the Bible, Isaiah 1:18. "Come now, and let us reason together ..." Unfortunately, it wasn't all that possible then, and it isn't all that possible now.

This is a must-see, especially for those who don't know much about that time in our country.

Gaudiker

Directly following John F. Kennedy's assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office. Very shortly after his ascendancy to the highest land in the office LBJ began the push for the Civil Rights Act. Bryan Cranston does an amazing job portraying the 36th President of the United States as he struggles with racist Senators in the South filibustering the Civil Rights Act using lofty words like "freedom", "liberty", and "States Rights".

It's remarkable how similar the rhetoric of these men sounds to the current Republican party though they have moved their target to other minorities in this nation. Cranston lays on the thick Southern accent of Johnson and negotiates with these Senators including his former mentor Senator Richard Russell, played by the regal Frank Langella. I haven't studied up on my history but found the negotiating and politics quite interesting and believe this story needs to be reviewed every few years.

Check out more of this review and others at swilliky.com

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