What do you get when you combine a writer with a talent for telling stories with quirky,
lovable characters, a director who specializes in heartwarming films, and an all-star cast
of funny, musically talented actors?
You get All Together Now, which debuts on Netflix on August 28.
Directed by Brett Haley and starring Auli'i Cravalho, the movie tells the story of bright,
determined high school student Amber Appleton's quest to achieve her musical dreams despite
struggling with a shameful secret, all while learning how to let others help her as much
as she helps others.
Will you laugh?
Will you cry?
The answer to both is "yeah, probably."
Here's everything you need to know before you watch All Together Now.
All Together Now is based on a 2011 novel called Sorta Like a Rockstar by Matthew Quick,
a name that might be familiar to anyone who enjoyed the Oscar-winning 2012 film Silver
Linings Playbook.
He wrote the book that the Bradley Cooper- and Jennifer Lawrence-starring movie was based
on, so it should be no surprise that his other published works are making their way to Hollywood
as well.
So what's this latest Quick-penned movie all about?
When you're in high school, keeping secrets is second nature.
Who you're crushing on, how quickly you rushed through your homework you know the drill.
But one of the biggest secrets a high school student might keep is how different they are
from their peers, or what struggles they might be going through at home.
That's the sort of struggle Amber Appleton faces in All Together Now.
See, Amber is a talented, ambitious, and caring young woman who is beloved by teachers, students,
and members of the community in equal measure.
But no one knows that she and her mother are homeless, a fact that complicates her hopes
of auditioning for the music program at Carnegie Mellon University.
How can someone whose every waking moment is spent caring for others learn how to accept
a little care for herself?
"Let us help you."
"I don't need it."
"What is so bad about needing help?
You expect the rest of us to just let you go down the drain, and that is not fair!"
"Not fair?"
"Amber, you are suffering, and you won't admit it."
"Just leave me alone."
Playing All Together Now's lead role of Amber Appleton is Auli'i Cravalho, an actress who
got one of the biggest breaks a young performer could ever hope for.
Back in 2016, she provided the voice for Moana in the movie named after her, a mega-hit animated
Disney musical that earned two academy award nominations.
As it happened, Cravalho almost didn't get the part that made her famous because she
didn't even plan on auditioning.
Fortunately, a casting director working on Moana noticed her vocal talents during a charity
singing competition.
Soon enough, the 14-year old was cast in the iconic part, and her career has taken off.
Since bringing one of Disney's most beloved new characters to life, Cravalho's been on
a definite upward trajectory, scoring the role of Lilette in NBC's 2018 musical series
Rise.
The next year, she portrayed yet another iconic Disney heroine, taking the role of Ariel on
ABC's Little Mermaid: Live.
As Amber Appleton, Cravalho will be putting her powerful singing voice to good use, as
the film features an inspirational vocal performance - similar to the ones that made her a breakout
star in Moana.
It's hard to imagine a more perfect young actress to lead the film.
Actress Justina Machado should be a familiar face to anyone who's turned on a television
in the last 25 years.
Acting veteran Machado, who plays Amber's mom Becky in All Together Now, most recently
played Penelope on 2017's One Day at a Time remake.
But before that, one of her highest profile television gigs was a recurring role on Six
Feet Under as Vanessa Diaz, the long-suffering wife of mortuary worker Rico.
But those are just the roles she's most known for.
Machado has been a mainstay on the big and small screens for decades, first breaking
into the business in 1993 with a role on an ABC After School Special, and following that
up with an appearance on the short-lived crime drama Missing Persons that same year.
A few years later, her career officially took off, with roles on Touched by an Angel, Early
Edition, Grey's Anatomy, Jane the Virgin, and so, so many more.
Her work in movies also saw her land parts in films like Final Destination 2, The Purge:
Anarchy, and The Call.
Simply put, if you want an experienced actor to ground your movie or TV show, Justina Machado
is who you call.
Judy Reyes, plays Donna in All Together Now, the mom of one of Amber's friends.
Reyes is probably best known to fans for her role as Carla on Scrubs, the tough, dedicated
head nurse who closely watches over the new interns at Sacred Heart Hospital.
But while Scrubs was her most high profile part, Reyes has been steadily working in Hollywood
since the early '90s.
In 1992, she appeared on an episode of Law and Order, and appeared alongside future star
Sam Rockwell in the comedy Jack and His Friends.
Over the ensuing years, Reyes was a regular presence on television, with appearances on
As the World Turns, NYPD Blue, Oz, and The Sopranos, among plenty of others.
And after Scrubs, Reyes continued racking up impressive credits, with a starring role
on the Lifetime series Devious Maids, a role in the 2017 Tom Hanks-starring thriller The
Circle, and even appeared alongside her future All Together Now co-star Justina Machado in
One Day at a Time.
Another core member of the cast of All Together Now is a huge name in the world of comedy:
Fred Armisen as Amber's Drama club teacher Mr. Franks.
Armisen should be no stranger to fans of sketch comedy, as he was a popular castmember on
Saturday Night Live from 2002 to 2013, and co-created and starred on the IFC sketch show
Portlandia with punk rock icon Carrie Brownstein.
Additionally, Armisen has had roles and cameos in tons of influential comedies over the last
several years.
He had a memorable role as Tino in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy, played a reluctant
cannibal on The Last Man on Earth, co-starred with Maya Rudolph in the strange, dreamy dramedy
Forever, and co-created Los Espookys on HBO.
And who could forget his turns as Father Elliott Birch on Big Mouth and as the creepy Jinx
Robert Durst on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt?
And that's just the stuff where he's acting.
Armisen has also long had a career as a musician, most recently serving as the bandleader of
the 8G Band, which provides music for Late Night with Seth Meyers on NBC.
Before that, he was the drummer for the punk band Trenchmouth.
He fully blended his love of music and comedy when he released his 2018 Netflix Comedy Special
Standup for Drummers.
And Armisen is making the same kind of combination of humor and harmony in All Together Now,
as Mr. Franks' warm, funny presence helps provide Amber with the confidence to pursue
her musical dreams.
"All the world's a stage...the end.
Right?
Is that what it is?
I don't know.
I have work to do guys."
Comedy legend Carol Burnett plays the role of Joan, a cynical retirement community resident
whom Amber befriends in All Together Now.
"Have you hooked up with a boyfriend of yours?"
"Joan!"
"Youth is precious, so you should enjoy it."
A hugely influential force in the world of comedy, Burnett's been in showbiz since the
'50s.
After appearing on The Lucy Show, Get Smart, The Twilight Zone, and more, Burnett got her
own variety comedy show in 1967 called, simply, The Carol Burnett Show.
It made history as the first network TV variety show to be hosted by a woman, ran for 11 years,
and racked up 25 Emmy wins.
And Burnett continued to rack up memorable roles, like Mrs. Hannigan in 1982's big screen
version of Annie and Dotty in 1992's Noises Off.
She even returned to her variety show roots with Netflix's A Little Help with Carol Burnett
in 2018.
In short, Burnett's been a constant and beloved presence in comedy, and she's the perfect
person to support a rising star like Auli'i Cravalho.
With his directorial debut, 2010's The New Year, Brett Haley quickly established himself
as a strong new voice in the world of smart, heartfelt indie film.
In that film, based on a script Haley co-wrote with his sister-in-law Elizabeth Kennedy,
a young woman puts her life on hold for several years to care for her sick father.
When she starts to realize that there's more to life than spraying down bowling shoes and
going home to take care of her dad every night, she struggles to figure out how to put her
life back together.
Haley's movies focus on ordinary people making their way through extraordinary circumstances,
and All Together Now is no different.
And this wouldn't even be the first film Haley tackled that focused on the healing power
of music.
In 2018, he scored a critical hit with Hearts Beat Loud, a movie starring Nick Offerman
as a record store-owning single dad who tries to connect with his daughter by starting a
band with her.
Nor is this his first movie adapted from a novel: in 2020, All The Bright Places - based
on the novel of the same name - premiered on Netflix, and portrayed an emotionally affecting
story of two young people finding support and love in each other as they struggle to
overcome their difficult pasts.
Big things keep happening for Haley, too.
In July 2020, he was announced as the director of Summer Loving, a long-awaited prequel to
the classic musical Grease.
A movie that brings young people together in a fun, funny, moving, and musical story?
Well, Brett Haley is just the pitch perfect choice.
Thanks for watching.
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