Watch All Night Long For Free

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Excellent but underrated film

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

After an outburst at work, stressed-out Southern California businessman Gene Hackman (as George Dupler) is demoted to night manager of the discount drug-store "UltraSave". At a funeral, Mr. Hackman sees buxom blonde Barbra Streisand (as Cheryl) and discovers she is having a sexual affair with his teenage son, well-built and wavy-haired Dennis Quaid (as Frederick "Freddie" Dupler). Hackman wants to break up the couple, but becomes involved with Ms. Streisand himself. Their romance is complicated by the fact that, as Hackman tells Streisand, "You're screwing my son." Moreover, Streisand is married to Mr. Quaid's "fourth cousin," fireman Kevin Dobson (as Bobby Gibbons)...This is a disaster. Apparently, the model performances for Streisand and Hackman are Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell in "The Seven Year Itch" (1955). That could be what the co-stars are aiming for. Note, there is a scene where Streisand duplicates the famous scene where Ms. Monroe's dress blows up to reveal her panties. This was the image they used to promote the film...Streisand is wildly miscast as Marilyn Monroe. Hackman attempts his own characterization, but shows little of the nervous passion evident in Mr. Ewell's performance. Quaid is no teenager, but at least he can act like one. The director, Jean-Claude Tramont, leaves a good supporting cast out on a limb, especially during the drug-store sequences. Although his efforts are wasted, Mr. Dobson handles his role well...Most appropriately, Streisand wears a magical motorcycle helmet which never musses her hair...*** All Night Long (3/6/81) Jean-Claude Tramont ~ Gene Hackman, Barbra Streisand, Dennis Quaid, Kevin Dobson

Where to start......???? Do you want it fast or do you want it good?? This is a masterpiece......it changed my outlook on growing older! If you are a fan of brilliant one-liners than this is the film for you! This could possibly be the defining role of Barbara Streisand's career. The sheer thought of her singing country and playing the piano brings joy to my meaningless life. For anyone who is a fan of Dennis Quaid prepare yourself for his breakout role.....one that surely paved the way for stardom. Where to even begin with Gene Hackman.....he looks as handsome in this movie as he does today....which for anyone with taste....you know he looks good! Overall the impeccable acting combined with a truly imaginative plot makes for the film that defined 1981!

Except possibly for the slapstick comedy FOR PETE'S SAKE, ALL NIGHT LONG is most likely the most obscure title in Barbara Streisand's career. It is hard, at first, to understand this. She is starring opposite Gene Hackman, and Dennis Quaid is in the cast (as is Diane Ladd, Kenneth Dobson - from Telly Savalas' KOJAC series, and the always droll and dependable William Daniels). But it is the character she is playing. Some of the writers on this thread have pointed out that her character is not well thought out. Certainly it does require fleshing. But Cheryl Gibbons comes across as a sweet, kindly, but essentially weak woman. The last portion of her character is not usual for Streisand, who usually is intelligent and strong in determination. Think of her trying to play opposite Robert Redford in THE WAY THEY WERE where she is not a fiery liberal and libertarian, but a mousy type. Redford's Hubble would probably not have been interested in her, but if he developed an interest he would have found her a perfect mate because she would never have tried to be his constant conscience.Here she is a sweet rag doll, first married to Dobson (who is somewhat abusive - more could have been developed there), then playing around with Quaid, and finally ending up with Hackman (who needs such an agreeable woman as his mate - he needs someone who will support and believe in him, not like the critical Ladd). To add to the character switch, Streisand is given blond hair in this film (the only time that happened). It is as though the production was determined to present Streisand as a totally different actress. And it succeeds.As an interesting exception to the rule of her films ALL NIGHT LONG is worth watching. It gave some nice moments for Hackman and certainly showed Dobson in a good negative part. But for all the good work from the cast, it is a decidedly minor film. I rank it a "7" because of the production, cast, and unusual situation for Streisand.

A huge box office bomb upon release, ALL NIGHT LONG has been criticized by many for it's uncomfortable mix of odd-ball comedy and quaint slice-of-life drama. Though it received some positive reviews (most notably from Pauline Kael and ROLLING STONE magazine), most mainstream critics hated it and audiences all but completely ignored it. It is also often cited by most of Streisand's die-hard fans as their least favorite film of the actress. While the film is certainly not without it's flaws, I have interestingly always thought ALL NIGHT LONG contained somewhat of a bizarre charm, and I've always wished it would receive a re-evaluation from the film-going public.As mentioned before, the film has it's problems. It's paced too leisurely (it's only 90-minutes in length, but feels more like two-and-a-half hours), Jean-Claude Tramont's direction is too light (the film needs more of a thematic punch in several scenes), and much of it's humor is surprisingly too subtle (odd seeing that most film comedies have the opposite problem). Having said all of that, the film is still worth checking out. Though Tramont's direction may be a tad too limp, his skewed perception of the American dream gives the film a dreamy, almost art house-like feel that makes the film more inherently interesting than the screen play would merit alone.Also, the varied cast is a lot of fun, almost all of them playing against type. Gene Hackman brings a equal mix of unusual serenity and touching pathos to his role of the would-be inventor who manages to find his true self by losing nearly everything that was once-important in his life. In an early role, Dennis Quaid throws himself completely into part of Hackman's airheaded son, making the intelligent personae he would develop in later films like DREAMSCAPE and THE BIG EASY even more impressive. Barbra Streisand is clearly miscast the role of the bimbo housewife who woos both Hackman and Quaid (Streisand replaced Lisa Eichhorn, who was fired from the film after two weeks of production), but her performance is still worth catching. Though she's never totally believable as Cheryl (a role that was poorly-defined in the screenplay to begin with), she is still a very likable, always watchable, and occasionally an endearing presence in a unusual little film that deserves a second chance.