Based on the novel by Matthew Quick, “Sorta Like a Rockstar”, All Together Now is a story of a girl,Amber (Auliʻi Cravalho) whose fate renders homeless but could not take away her talent and unwavering hope in life. Directed by Bret Haley, All Together Now conveys a simple message that hope can be found in the darkest of times, we just have to look for it!
Amber is a generous and talented teenager who works at part-time jobs, volunteers with the elderly, organizes events in the school, and is a great singer. She has excellent friends who support her and appreciate her talents. But there is one secret she keeps hidden from the world, She is Homeless!
After a tragic accident in her life after which she lost her father, she and her alcoholic mother are confined to the streets without any home to go to. They do menial, odd jobs to earn some money, and spend their nights inside a school bus, which her mother drives. Amber is seen as quite poignant, carrying a happy face and losing herself in parts of her life which she can control.
Apart from all this, she also has a dream to become a great singer someday, for which she applies in Carnegie Mellon and gets the opportunity to audition for it. But life is not as simple and fair as it seems! Her mother got fired from her job after they found out about their night stays on the bus.
Amber struggles in the next half of the movie, often getting lost, but lifting herself right on time. The series of events will surely make you weep for the protagonist. She gets trapped between fulfilling her dreams and keeping her family together, struggling to choose between the two.
“All Together Now” makes the argument that tragedies don’t have to be faced alone. Helping someone in need takes courage, accepting that help does too. Amber, initially seen as a perfect girl having hope even in the worst of times, has her dark side, or the flaws revealed towards the end. She has a hard time accepting help from her friends, often pushing them away in the darkest times.
Auliʻi Cravalho, who we know as the voice in Moana, looks very real and acceptable as Amber. Although sometimes it is hard to relate to the character with all her positive energy in the circumstances she is in, Cravalho makes it easy with her acting. She is well supported by other actors, especially her weird bunch of friends who never lose her back.
Special mention should be made for the background score. The music and soundtracks will keep you engrossed in the movie. Brett Haley has directed the movie well, playing with a sensitive topic as homelessness from the point of view of a teenager.
Will she be able to fulfill her dreams, and what more sacrifices she has to make for that to happen? Find the answers yourself with this light-hearted, teen drama on Netflix! The end will surely make your day, and would definitely make you believe that miracles do happen!
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