Going All the Way (1997)

Going All the Way is special because it treats postwar “coming home” not as a victory lap, but as a quiet, aching second adolescence—where the hardest battles are the ones you didn’t know you’d be fighting. Set in the Korean War era with lived-in period texture, it follows two friends trying to fit back into old routines that suddenly feel too small, and the film finds humor, tenderness, and bruising honesty in that in-between space. Jeremy Davies and the ensemble give performances that feel unshowy but deeply specific, letting longing, loyalty, and self-deception flicker across faces instead of being announced. It’s a gentle, insightful slow-burn rather than a big romantic sweep, so if you want fireworks you may not click with it—but if you like dramas that get wiser as they go, it sneaks up on you and stays there.

Going All the Way wants to be a postwar coming-of-age drama about two friends realizing their old hometown rules don’t fit anymore, with romance as the pressure point. The problem is it often plays like a loud, showy satire—lots of stylistic swagger, not enough emotional weight—so the themes can feel familiar and the characters more like types than people. The women, in particular, are written in ways that can come off dismissive or misogynistic, which may sour the whole experience if you’re hoping for balanced, adult relationships. Still, if you can tolerate the dated gender politics, there’s a certain energy and period flavor that might work for viewers who like brisk, stylized storytelling over nuance.