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Good start, but then it gets ruined

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

I just HAD to chime in on this movie. Besides having lived through this period of history, I read so many books and articles about the Kennedys in particular and much about film and show biz history as well as the sixties.But before I get into that, let's review the movie and its stars. Ray Liotta as Sinatra is so awful , I'm embarrassed for him, frankly. (No pun intended, but you have to admit it is a good one.) It made me wonder how this man got into the acting profession let alone this movie. He is basically, from my point of view, doing a redo of his character from "Goodfellas" and without the great direction and supporting cast of that film.Joe Mategna as Dino is very good even though he only bears a passing resemblance to Dean Martin, but captures much of his laid-back charm. I only wish he had more of the smiling Dino I saw so many hours on TV and in films. (Don't get me started on those awful Matt Helm movies. I still haven;t completely forgiven this late crooner for those.) Don Cheadle is a standout as Sammy Davis Jr. and I would wear out my typing fingers if I went on. I just could have done without that imaginary scene with the giant "N" word as he dances around the letters. Anyway, suffice it to say that Cheadle earned the award and accolades.Also amazing was the actor Angus Macfadyen as Peter Lawford who also did a great job in yet another biopic about Richard Burton and Liz Taylor. He is dead-on right here. Although I am not so sure that Lawford ws such a loser.As for William Petersen as JFK, here's where I have more than a few problems. The man CAN ACT. and he even does an OK job as our 34th President, but he follows in a succession of vague resembling actors with varying degrees of charisma and acting talent. Here is where the facts get in the way. Instead of going for the truth, the writer and filmmaker rely solely, it seems, on tabloid gossip and negative and unsubstantiated accounts in some revisionist books on the subject of his life. Kennedy had a very bad back from his early football days at Harvard and further aggravated by his part in the whole PT-109 adventure. The man wore a corset for it and also used the famed rocking chair in the White House so it is entirely unlikely at this point in his life that he had a lot of sexual conquests. But people want to believe the scurrilous fabrications that persist in film and literature.Getting back to the movie, the singing of the songs by people who should have let the original recordings stand on their own. They are (and I'm being polite here) damned awful. Nuff said there.So folks, do your homework and read as much as you can about the whole period. Just don't relegate it solely to the revisionist junk that's out there. You will thank me later.All in all, this film is slightly entertaining but an insult to all that were the actual participants in this story.I give it a generous 4 out of 10.

I enjoyed watching it quite a bit. Best actor there-Don Cheadle, was prob the most miscast though it was fun to watch him play Sammy. Deano was done alright by Montengna, while Lawford was shown to be a real wuss. Joey Bishop well he was just a cameo so who can say? Now Sinatra-Liotta has the attitude and manner down, but sure doesn't look like him. He's also over 6 foot while Ol' Blue Eyes was 5-9 maybe and skinny. But as Sinatra, Liotta wasn't a bad choice.You get a crash course in familiar faces/big names here: Sam Giancana, JFK, Joseph Kennedy, RFK, Marilyn, Joltin Joe, Johnny Rosselli, Ava Gardner, hmmmmm I am sure I'm leaving someone out but you get the idea. All this and some Hoover eavesdropping too! You even have allusions to J. Edgar and that infamous blackmail pic of him and Clyde Tolson, Mickey Cohen, a ludicrous scene of Sinatra trying to phone Nixon to concede the election(!) and of course, Dan O'Herlihy(from Robocop etc etc) running everything too. And yes the Klan shows. O and don't forget May Britt...Oh the buying of West Virgina primary votes and the Chicago votes by the mob too. That we all heard of as well.So was this any good?! Sure. Did I buy into it? Well...mostly. I got a kick outta Sinatra's tantrum when he found out that BING of all people was getting to host JFK instead of himself in California, and he starts to bash apart the half-finished additions to his Palm Springs mansion. Quite funny.The woman playing Ava was beautiful though Marilyn wasn't so convincing. Judith Campbell/Exner well that came off okay. Momo was shown w/ Rosselli tossing around the idea of 'whacking Frank', which hadda be a twist on things if ever there was one. This I did actually buy.Overall you will enjoy it though it did need some more of JFK's time in office, the CSI guy as JFK was a hoot. I liked their sailing scene together him and Sinatra.You won't go wrong with this if you just sit back and take it with a grain of salt.*** outta ****

I missed this on HBO and was delighted to pick it up recently. With the possible exception of Ray Liotta, the physical casting was truly well done. Liotta plays Sinatra reminiscing towards the end of his life about his golden years, his old friends in the 'Rat Pack' and his aspirations to be loved universally by helping John F Kennedy into power.What made this stand out for me is not only the wonderful recreations of the legendary on stage horseplay the Rat Pack indulged in, but also some of the private agonies, particularly those of Sammy Davies Junior, in another superb performance by Don Cheadle, who is given his own solo spectacular scene in a face off against the Ku Klux Klan.The Kennedy and Lawford association is also covered in some depth, and the Sinatra character is well rounded - we feel for him much of the time, but his personality is far from sugar coated. As a film character, he is compelling, although Ray Liotta makes little attempt to emulate Sinatra in voice or mannerisms.Joe Mantegna IS Dean Martin physically, and this helps the authenticity of the piece, but he is sadly underwritten, Gone is the hell raiser and womaniser of legend. In his place is a laconic 'Fonz', smooth with the ladies, but sleeping alone.William Petersen nails Kennedy in spite of physical differences, and the scenes with him and Sinatra seem consistent with their characters. Angus McFadyen plays a nervous Lawford, caught between using his Kennedy connections to become part of the Rat Pack and keeping Frank out of the White House. Ava Gardner also makes a brief appearance in the form of Debra Kara Unger. Aside from the unusual casting of it's lead (Aidan Quinn would have been a much more realistic choice), my only real gripe is how suddenly it all ends, while you wait for a proper conclusion. This is a wonderful glimpse into the intertwined lives of some of the highest profile people on the planet.

I was skeptical about this film as I am about most movies having to do with the life and times of entertainment stars. This however isn't all that bad for a two hour film. Several inaccuracies are included that the makers must have known were not true and there is way too much focus on Sinatra. If you want the real tale of the Pack check out the four part biography A&E put out.