All the Way Movie Review

Dennis Hopper as Frank Sinatra? It's a crazy idea, but not as wild as you might think. From a distance, Hopper bears a striking resemblance to the older, chunkier Frank. And whoever's doing the singing for him reasonably approximates a blend of Hopper's voice with Sinatra's.

Of course, there's a plot you need to suffer through to marvel at the stunt casting, and it involves a presumably true story about Sinatra being wooed to visit Australia in 1974 by a two-bit promoter. Getting him Down Under is only half the fun. Once he arrives, Frank -- in his inimitable way -- insults a reporter (Portia de Rossi) by calling her a whore. Aussie's native sons rise to defend her, and over 100 unions go on strike to ensure Frank won't be able to eat, drink, travel, or take a shower -- much less perform on stage. Hilarity ensues as our promoter friend (Joel Edgerton) tries to patch things back together, dealing with his own love life along the way.

If Edgerton was better able to carry a film (he's in nearly every scene), All the Way might have been more than a quirky Aussie curiosity (the sad fate of so many Australian films). Adding Melanie Griffith to the mix doesn't help matters, and though the always charming Rose Byrne makes the film easier on the eyes, I was ready to dismiss her accent as untranslatable and phoney... until I discovered she was an Aussie native.

Ultimately it's a small and limited story -- approach it with minimal expectations and you could come away pleasantly surprised.

Aka The Night We Called It a Day.

She's ready to go...