As Good As It Gets

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The Ratpack is directed by Rob Cohen and stars Ray Liotta, Joe Mantegna, Angus McFadyen, Don Cheadle and William Peterson.The film focuses on Frank Sinatra and his gang of showbiz friends nicknamed The Ratpack. The film focuses on them during the time leading up to President Kennedy's election when they were all at the height of their fame from 1959 through to the early 1960's.The Ratpack stars Ray Liotta as Frank Sinatra,Joe Mantegna as Dean Martin, Don Cheadle as Sammy Davis Jr and Angus McFadyen as Peter Lawford.It mainly looks at the relationship between the group and their involvement in the presidential campaign of Senator John F.Kennedy(William Peterson).Mantegna, Cheadle and McFadyen give the best performances as Dean, Sammy and Peter they captures their personality perfectly and all bear quite a strong resemblance to the men they are playing .William and Ray are sadly miscast although you believe Ray as Frank more than William as Kennedy. It's a shame that more time wasn't devoted to the groups friendship and the films they made together.What's here though is an entertaining and well made film that is not quite as perfect as it could have been. Well worth a watch though for fans of Sinatra, Martin, Davis Jr and Lawford.

THE RAT PACK is an entertaining made for HBO-TV movie chronicling that famous group of entertainers, led by ol' blue eyes, who ruled Hollywood and Las Vegas stages for years and made their presence felt in the political arena as well. Whether or not the facts presented here are accurate, only the actually parties involved can say, but, according to this particular screenplay, Sinatra was a powerful Svengali who controlled and manipulated the lives and careers of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and even wielded quite a bit of influence on our 35th President, JFK and his brother Bobby. Martin is presented as a drunk who allowed Sinatra to lead him around by the nose and Davis is presented as a milquetoast who wouldn't make any move in his career or personal life without Sinatra's approval. Lawford comes off as a doormat who was shoved to the forefront to cover Sinatra's butt in embarrassing situations. Ray Liotta works hard, but fails to convince as Sinatra, but Joe Montegna is superb as Martin, as is Don Cheadle as Sammy Davis Jr. Angyus McFadden is convincing as Peter Lawford and comic Bobby Slayton makes the most of the thankless role of Joey Bishop. William Petersen does a charismatic turn as JFK as does Zeljko Ivanek as RFK. Barbara Niven also shines in a brief appearance as Marilyn Monroe. If you're looking for an accurate recounting of the activities of this notorious circle of friends, this is probably not the place to go and if you're looking for a portrait of them as fun loving innocent entertainers, you won't find that either and I can pretty much guarantee that Sinatra fans will not be enamored of the way their idol is portrayed here, but if you're looking for a glance into a group of Hollywood insiders about which a lot is unknown, it might be worth the rental.

There is a lot to like about "The Rat Pack", the HBO production of Frank Sinatra and his legendary cohorts during the wildly glamorous 'Camelot' days of the Kennedy administration. They were gifted, rich, and idolized, could have anything or anyone they wanted, ruled Las Vegas as demigods, and for a brief moment in history, they shared, with John Kennedy, a pinnacle that no one, before or since, has achieved.Each performer had a clearly defined role in the 'Pack', in 1960; Joey Bishop, 42, was the 'Jester', heralding arrivals, and content with the reflected glory of the 'Pack'; Peter Lawford, 37, was the 'Ambassador', official 'go-between' for Sinatra and the Kennedys (who would swallow his pride, and accept often being little more than a glorified 'pimp' for his more successful friends); Sammy Davis Jr., 35, was the 'Pet', tiny and extraordinarily talented as a singer and dancer, yet still treated as a 'less than equal' novelty act, even by the enlightened Sinatra; and Dean Martin, 43, was the 'Crown Prince', tall, handsome and charismatic, possessing all the qualities Sinatra lacked, and completely hiding a deep-set aloofness by a quick wit and 'way cool' persona. Sinatra, 45, was, of course, the 'King', undisputed leader of the 'Pack'. Short, skinny, and balding, the middle-class kid from Hoboken, N.J. had never truly grown up; while his voice would revolutionize the music industry and make him legendary, his personal life was a continuous elevator ride of highs and lows, with an Oscar, two broken marriages, three children, and a never-ending supply of "booze and broads" masking a child-like need to be liked and accepted.The success of the actors in 'capturing' these legends is a mixed bag. Bobby Slayton, as Bishop, is forgettable in little more than a cameo; Angus MacFadyen's Lawford is, however, very good, capturing the spirit of a man who had 'sold his soul' to both Sinatra and the Kennedys; best of all is Don Cheadle, as Sammy Davis, acutely aware of the patronizing attitude Sinatra demonstrates towards him, but too happy having his friendship to speak up.As for Joe Mantegna and Ray Liotta...Besides sharing wavy black hair, a Roman nose, and oval head, the short, stocky Mantegna barely resembles 'Dino', but he captures the Martin 'attitude' and double life extremely well; Liotta looks even less like Sinatra, but the blocky, very powerful GOODFELLAS star is brilliant as the mercurial star, far closer in spirit to the man than Philip Casnoff, in the family 'approved' TV-movie, "Sinatra" (1992).With flashy supporting roles by William L. Petersen, as a shallow, whoring JFK, and Deborah Unger as earthy, alcoholic pragmatist Ava Gardner, "The Rat Pack" is a 'Who's Who' of the movers and shakers of the times, easily incorporating the Mafia, Ku Klux Klan, and Marilyn Monroe, as well as the transitional 'feel' of the era, as the stodgy conservatism of the fifties was replaced by JFK's dynamic yet ultimately superficial new optimism...until November, 1963, when 'Camelot' would collapse, replaced by a far less idealistic new order, where Sinatra's 'Rat Pack' would be a passé joke.As Montegna's 'Dean Martin' would remark, "Enjoy the ride while it lasts, because nothing lasts forever.""The Rat Pack" is a GREAT ride!

The fascinating thing aboutThe Rat Pack film is that director Rob Cohen treats it almost like a Greek tragedy, with an impressive rise and a truly mournful downfall. That these characters are real people and larger-than-life in their swagger and impact on a nation only adds to this movie's effect. The casting is awe-inspiring, with Cheadle, Liotta, and Mantegna really becoming their parts, not just aping mannerisms and voices of the real people but catching the effect of their styles and personalities. Liotta's is a very difficult part, for the real Sinatra was a turbulent, conflicted man, capable of rage and powerful anger and yet love, loneliness and tenderness, and it's great compliment to Liotta to say that he nailed the part. However,the film is most effective in showing the tragedy and lost hope of the Kennedy Years, the flawed but beautiful "Camelot" myth. William Peterson is great as Jack, coming across as a devilish, womanizing politician who wants to conduct himelf as a Rat Packer yet finds himself constrained by his Presidency, which ultimately hurts Sinatra, in scenes so emotional that the viewer feels very sorry for the wounded crooner, wanting love and respect from his poweful friend and yet getting rejected for the way he (and Jack Kennedy)has lived his life. The final scene, set to the tune of "One for My Baby" is haunting both in its revelations, its sad reflection on its characters, and the horror in what it leaves unsaid. A lesser film would've shown the Rat Pack's reaction to the Kennedy assassination and ended there, but instead Cohen ends with a shot of Peter Lawford standing solemnly outside the Kennedy Family Home in Hyanis Port, looking out to the sea, as if waiting for something. Then comes the end of the song,and there is a brilliant shot of the needle coming off the record and the familiar dull thud, then silence. A perfect metaphor for November 22, 1963, and the true end of the Rat Pack.