All Together Now
All Together Now (2020 film)
| All Together Now | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Directed by | Brett Haley |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Sorta Like a Rockstar by Matthew Quick |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Keegan DeWitt |
| Cinematography | Rob C. Givens |
| Edited by | Mollie Goldstein |
Production companies | Temple Hill Entertainment
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| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
All Together Now is a 2020 American drama film directed by Brett Haley, from a screenplay by Haley, Marc Basch, Matthew Quick and Ol Parker. It is based upon the novel Sorta Like a Rockstar by Quick. It stars Auliʻi Cravalho, Justina Machado, Fred Armisen, Carol Burnett, Judy Reyes, Taylor Richardson, Rhenzy Feliz, Gerald Isaac Waters and Anthony Jacques.
It was released on August 28, 2020, by Netflix.
Plot summary[edit source]
Amber Appleton is a high school student living in Portland, Oregon with her mother Becky. The two are temporarily homeless after Becky leaves her abusive boyfriend Oliver, and sleep in the school bus Becky drives. She also works several jobs, including teaching an ESL class and working in an old age home, where she has bonded with Joan, a resident there. She also plans an annual school variety show, the proceeds going to various charitable causes. Amber is invited to audition for the drama program at Carnegie Mellon University, her deceased father's alma mater. At Becky's encouragement, she spends money she has saved for she and Becky to rent an apartment for a plane ticket. Becky's employers discover that she has been living in her bus and fire her; when she decides to return to Oliver, Amber refuses to join her, sleeping on a park bench.
She confides about her situation in her friend Ty, who takes Amber to his family's vacation house to give her a place to stay and to help her prepare for her audition. She tells Ty that Becky struggled with her father's death, causing the two to be evicted and move in with Oliver, who eventually became abusive towards Becky. Becky, who is an alcoholic, frequently suffers relapses while with Oliver. With the help of Donna, the mother of her friend Ricky, Amber tells Becky that she does not feel safe living with Oliver. The two have an argument, and Becky leaves; Amber stays at Donna's house. The following morning, Amber meets with police officers at school, who inform her that Oliver and Becky have both been killed in a car accident, presumably while driving drunk.
On the day she is scheduled to fly to Pittsburgh for her audition, Amber discovers that her dog Bobby is sick; she misses her flight to take him to the vet, where she learns he requires expensive surgery. She drops out of school and begins working full-time in order to afford the surgery, forgoing a rescheduled audition and losing contact with her friends. Ty confronts her and accuses her of rejecting help from others, and the two stop speaking. She plans to skip the variety show, only for Ty to surprise her at work, revealing that the proceeds will go towards paying for Bobby's surgery. All of Amber's friends perform in the show, including the students of her ESL class. At the end of the evening, the fundraiser is still $2,000 short of its goal, but suddenly receives an anonymous donation of $200,000. At the old age home, Joan reveals that she is the one who made the donation, telling Amber that she considers her family. Amber receives another audition from Carnegie Mellon, and she and Ty share a kiss before she leaves.
Cast[edit source]
- Auliʻi Cravalho as Amber Appleton
- Rhenzy Feliz as Ty
- Judy Reyes as Donna
- Justina Machado as Becky
- Taylor Richardson as Jordan
- C.S. Lee as Father Chee
- Anthony Jacques Jr. as Ricky
- Gerald Isaac Waters as Chad
- Fred Armisen as Mr. Franks
- Carol Burnett as Joan
Production[edit source]
Development[edit source]
In August 2013, Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired screen rights to Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick, and would produce and finance the film, with Temple Hill Entertainment and Gotham Group producing, with Laura Sandler and Amanda Harlib writing the film.[1] In March 2016, it was announced Miguel Arteta would direct the film, with Ol Parker writing the script.[2] In July 2017, it was announced Bryce Dallas Howard would direct the film, replacing Arteta and Fox Searchlight Pictures no longer involved.[3] In November 2017, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film, with Quick writing the screenplay.[4]
Casting[edit source]
In July 2019, Auliʻi Cravalho joined the cast of the film, with Brett Haley replacing Dallas Howard who departed due to scheduling conflicts.[5] In September 2019, Carol Burnett, Fred Armisen, Rhenzy Feliz, Justina Machado, Judy Reyes, Gerald Isaac Waters, Taylor Richardson, and Anthony Jacques had joined the cast of the film.[6]
Filming[edit source]
Principal photography began in October 2019 in Portland, Oregon. Neighborhoods in northeast Portland have been used to film. Some of the homes used for filming were in the same neighborhoods as those featured in Fred Armisen's work, Portlandia.[7]
Release[edit source]
It was released on August 28, 2020.[8]
Critical reception[edit source]
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 74% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 6.65/10.[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
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