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The Rat Pack (film)

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The Rat Pack
DVD cover
Written byKario Salem
Directed byRob Cohen
StarringRay Liotta
Joe Mantegna
Don Cheadle
Angus Macfadyen
William L. Petersen
Željko Ivanek
Bobby Slayton
Dan O'Herlihy
Music byMark Adler
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerNeal H. Mortiz
CinematographyShane Hurlbut
Running time120 min.
Production companiesOriginal Film
HBO Pictures
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseAugust 22, 1998 (1998-08-22)

The Rat Pack is a 1998 American HBO made-for-television drama film about the Rat Pack. The movie stars Ray Liotta as Frank Sinatra, Joe Mantegna as Dean Martin, Don Cheadle as Sammy Davis Jr., and Angus Macfadyen as Peter Lawford. Despite his membership in the Pack, Joey Bishop (played by Bobby Slayton) is given minimal screen time, while John F. Kennedy (played by William L. Petersen), depicted as an on-and-off friend of Sinatra's, is given a more central role.

Also featured in supporting roles are Željko Ivanek as Bobby Kennedy, Veronica Cartwright as Rocky Cooper (wife of Gary Cooper), Deborah Kara Unger as Ava Gardner, Megan Dodds as May Britt, Dan O'Herlihy as Joseph Kennedy, Robert Miranda as Sam Giancana, John Diehl as Joe DiMaggio and Barbara Niven as Marilyn Monroe.

Don Cheadle won a Golden Globe for his performance as Sammy Davis Jr. The Rat Pack won three Emmy awards and earned several more nominations, including acting ones for Cheadle and Mantegna.

Plot

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The main icon Frank Sinatra discusses the movie's main narrative beginning during high points in the solo careers of the Rat Pack: Dean Martin was doing well without the help of the Rat Pack posy Jerry Lewis; Sinatra's career never dwindled and was actually doing better than ever during this moment; Sammy Davis Jr., is recovering not only his career, but his health after a car crash in which he lost an eyeball, and standup comic Joey Bishop is attempting to get his foot in the door by doing opening comedy acts. The Pack merges into one whole unit with actor Peter Lawford, who has been ostracized since being caught in the public eye with Sinatra's ex-wife, Ava Gardner.

Lawford has married Patricia Kennedy. Abandoning a notion to seduce Pat for his own amusement, Sinatra becomes more interested in her brother John F. Kennedy's political goals. He sincerely believes Jack Kennedy would be a great president, but he also feels having a close connection in the White House could majorly benefit his own public image. Sinatra arranges for the entire Pack to perform at a JFK campaign fund-raiser. Sinatra also knows Kennedy's infatuation with the opposite sex and introduces him to Marilyn Monroe, who begins seeing Kennedy behind the back of her husband, baseball star Joe DiMaggio.

Kennedy's pompous father, Joseph P. Kennedy, feels Sinatra's mob ties might hurt Jack's chances of defeating Richard Nixon in the election. He insists that Sinatra help the campaign from behind the scenes only; hypocritically, he also asks Sinatra to use those same mob ties to pursue West Virginia unions' support Kennedy's way. They go on to combine their stage acts for joint performances. They even parlay their friendship into a movie collaboration, Ocean's 11, working and playing together at the same time.

Davis is sometimes secretly hurt by the racist jokes of their stage act, especially after his girlfriend, actress May Britt, insinuates that the rest of the Pack is laughing at him, not with him. Davis has a more serious brush with racism when he and Britt announce their engagement, which results in a mixed-marriage protest in front of Davis's hotel. Davis day-dreams about scaring the protesters away with a song and dance routine in which he wields a gun. But he concedes the possible political repercussions of an interracial marriage.

He postpones the wedding to avoid hurting Sinatra, who had agreed to serve as best man. In the White House, President Kennedy seeks to renew his friendship with Sinatra. The two go sailing and plan for Kennedy to stay at Sinatra's Palm Springs residence during an upcoming West Coast presidential trip. Thrilled by the idea, Sinatra returns home and arranges for a guest compound to be built for Kennedy and his entourage.

However, the FBI finds a potential mafia link to the White House through a woman, Judy Campbell, who shared phone calls, and possibly affairs, with both Kennedy and mob boss Sam "Momo" Giancana after being introduced by Sinatra to each. Kennedy's brother, attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, insists that the President cancel his stay at Sinatra's house and cut off all ties to the entertainer. This enrages Sinatra, who had sunk a lot of money and time into the renovation and had been at least partially responsible for Kennedy's being elected president.

Sinatra takes out his wrath on Lawford, who as Kennedy's brother-in-law was Sinatra's direct link to the White House. Lawford finds himself repeatedly serving as a messenger between Sinatra and the Kennedys, including JFK's secret dalliances with Monroe, and he is sick of it. Lawford dreads delivering the news of Kennedy's decision to cancel his visit to Sinatra's house and stay instead with Bing Crosby, a Republican. A furious Sinatra physically throws Lawford out of his home and vows never to forgive him. The movie depicts this incident as the beginning of the end of the Rat Pack's influence in both politics and entertainment.

Cast

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Reception

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On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 57% based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "While it evokes its time period with a keen sense of swagger, The Rat Pack is troubled by uneven lead performances and fairly routine biopic trappings."[1]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
1999
 American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Two-Hour Movie for Non-Commercial Television Eric A. Sears Nominated [2]
American Society of Cinematographers Awards Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movie of the Week, Miniseries or Pilot Shane Hurlbut Nominated [3]
Art Directors Guild Awards Excellence in Production Design Award – Television Movie or Mini-Series Hilda Stark and Kathleen M. McKernin Nominated [4]
Artios Awards Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week Nancy Foy Won [5]
Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television – Movie of the Week,
Mini-Series or Specials 		Felipe Borrero, Michael C. Casper, and
Daniel J. Leahy 		Nominated [6]
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television or Miniseries Rob Cohen Nominated [7]
Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Don Cheadle Won[a] [8]
Joe Mantegna Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing – Television Movies of the Week – Music Joanie Diener Won
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Don Cheadle Nominated
Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated [9]
Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Joe Mantegna Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Don Cheadle Won
Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Won
Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Lighting in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Music in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best New Theme Song in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Made for Television Movie Neal H. Mortiz and Fred C. Caruso Nominated [10]
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Don Cheadle Nominated
Joe Mantegna Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Movie Kario Salem Nominated
Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Movie Hilda Stark, Kathleen M. McKernin, and
Linda Spheeris 		Won
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or a Made for Television Movie Nancy Foy Nominated
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Audrey Futterman-Stern, Gail Rowell-Ryan,
and Kelvin R. Trahan 		Nominated
Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Kandace Westmore, Judy Lovell,
Marvin Westmore, and Kevin Haney 		Nominated
Outstanding Music Direction Mark Adler Won
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie Eric A. Sears Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie Felipe Borrero, Michael C. Casper, and
Daniel J. Leahy 		Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Ray Liotta Nominated [11]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Tied with Gregory Peck for Moby Dick.

References

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  1. ^ "The Rat Pack". Rotten Tomatoes. 3 May 2005. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  2. ^ "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  3. ^ "The ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography". Archived from the original on 2011-08-02.
  4. ^ "3rd Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards". Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  5. ^ "1999 Artios Awards". www.castingsociety.com. September 22, 1999. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  6. ^ "Cinema Audio Society's Sound Awards". Deadline Hollywood. January 6, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  7. ^ "51st DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  8. ^ "The Rat Pack – Golden Globes". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "3rd Annual TV Awards (1998-99)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  10. ^ "The Rat Pack". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  11. ^ "The 5th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
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