Another day, another Netflix YA teen film announced. Clearly the algorithms indicate that this genre does extremely well for the streaming service because they keep greenlighting them hand over fist. What makes this new one slightly more interesting, “All Together Now,” is that it stars Auli’i Cravalho, the star of Disney’s “Moana.” Obviously, Cravalho, an unknown Hawaiian native at the time, played the character in animation, but she also sang many of the now-iconic songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa’i, and as the Oscars that year proved: her voice is fierce and no fucking joke.
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And while she did star in the short-lived NBC live-action musical dramedy “Rise,” in 2018, Cravalho’s brief career has mostly been known for animation voicing. This changes with her lead role in “All Together Now” which also stars Justina Machado, Fred Armisen, Judy Reyes, and the legendary Carol Burnett. Based upon the novel “Sorta Like a Rockstar,” by Matthew Quick, “All Together Now,” is also interesting because it’s being helmed by a Sundance indie filmmaker, Brett Haley, known for “The Hero” and “Hearts Beat Loud.”
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The screenplay was written by Matthew Quick, Brett Haley, and Marc Basch. Here’s the official synopsis:
Amber Appleton (Auli’i Cravalho) remains an optimist even when her personal life is far less stable than it appears on the surface. A musically gifted high school student with aspirations to attend Carnegie Mellon, Amber balances her beloved high school drama club helmed by Mr. Franks (Fred Armisen) with working long hours at a donut shop to help support herself and her down-on-her-luck single mom (Justina Machado). She also spends time at the local retirement community, giving care and attention to her favorite pessimistic resident (Carol Burnett). When new obstacles present themselves that threaten her dreams, Amber must learn to lean on the strength of her chosen family to move forward. Directed by Brett Haley (All The Bright Places, Hearts Beat Loud) and based on Matthew Quick’s novel “Sorta Like a Rock Star,” ALL TOGETHER NOW is a story of finding hope in the darkest of times. The film co-stars Rhenzy Feliz, Judy Reyes, Taylor Richardson, C.S. Lee, Anthony Jacques Jr., and Gerald Isaac Waters.
“All Together Now” also stars Rhenzy Feliz, Taylor Richardson, C.S. Lee, Anthony Jacques Jr., and Gerald Waters. The film debuts August 28 on Netflix so watch the first trailer below.