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The Rat Pack
The Rat Pack
Actors: Ray Liotta, Joe Mantegna, Don Cheadle, Angus Macfadyen, William Petersen
Director: Rob Cohen
Genres: Drama, Television
R     1998     2hr 0min

Hey, chicky baby--it's a cuckoo thing, ya dig? You, too, will find yourself speaking Rat Pack lingo after watching this made-for-HBO biopic about that brief and shining moment when Camelot met Hoboken-on-the-Pacific. The f...  more »
     
     

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Movie Details

Actors: Ray Liotta, Joe Mantegna, Don Cheadle, Angus Macfadyen, William Petersen
Director: Rob Cohen
Creators: Shane Hurlbut, Creighton Bellinger, Fred C. Caruso, Neal H. Moritz, Stokely Chaffin, Tom Horn, Kario Salem
Genres: Drama, Television
Sub-Genres: Drama, All Made-for-TV Movies
Studio: Home Box Office (HBO)
Format: DVD - Color - Closed-captioned
DVD Release Date: 12/22/1998
Original Release Date: 08/22/1998
Theatrical Release Date: 08/22/1998
Release Year: 1998
Run Time: 2hr 0min
Screens: Color
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 1
Members Wishing: 0
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Languages: English, Spanish
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

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Member Movie Reviews

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 7/9/2023...
Some well-known actors in this but they were miscasted. Not impressed with this.
Harold G. (Gig) from HOUSTON, TX
Reviewed on 8/6/2011...
The implication by Marcola that the assassination of JFk was in any way related to RFK urging the president to dump the Rat Pack is absolutely ridiculous.

Mantegna's performance was definitely the best of the 5 principals involved here. I believe that Liotta's was probably the weakest but I cut him some slack because Frank was the most difficult to pull off.

Phillip Casnoff in "Sinatra" the TVM produced by Tina Sinatra was excellent as young Frank during his early career but not quite as convincing in the last half of the movie. Actually, I believe the best depiction of Sinatra I have seen was by James Russo in "Stealing Sinatra" which tells of the kidnapping of FS Jr. in 1963

My guess is that the "informant" as to "The Rat Pack" was probably Tom Dreesen. And Sammy was not still wearing an eye-patch in 1960 when the action begins. He lost his in a traffic accident in December 1954 and I'm sure was fitted with a glass eye sometime in 1955.

Other than that, pretty much a job well done.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Joan W. from NEW OXFORD, PA
Reviewed on 4/16/2010...
Everyone did a great job portraying the "Rat Pack". Brought back a lot of memories.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Movie Reviews

"How's your bird?"
Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 06/21/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)

"TRIVIA: Frank Sinatra's recording of "High Hopes with JFK" was issued in 1960 on a limited pressing purple label CAPITOL 45 (minus identifying logos). This is the song we see Frank, Dino, Sammy and Peter perform on stage during John Kennedy's campaign.


THE RAT PACK covers in staggered order the years 1958 to '62, ending with Frank's '58 recording session of "One For My Baby." Cheadle excels as Sammy Davis but Mantegna (who got his start in the Chicago production of HAIR) is an equally fine Dino. Special mention to Macfayden's long-suffering Peter Lawford. They're all here: Marilyn and Joe, Jack and Bobby, Momo and Johnny, Frank and Ava.

One memorable scene has Sammy tapping and singing "Too Close For Comfort" to a crowd of Klannish protestors while an N-word sign flashes gaudily behind him. In another, Liotta as Frank goes nuts when the newly-elected JFK changes his mind about visiting Sinatra's Palm Springs compound and goes to Bing Crosby's instead. At the moment he learns the bad news from Peter Lawford, Frank is supervising the addition of a second floor to one wing of his home that was going to be for the president's use. He angrily fires the construction crew then lathers into a frenzy smashing windows and beating a brass commemorative plaque with a sledgehammer. Great stuff.

We gain another insight during the filming of OCEAN'S ELEVEN. A late-night slow pan outside their hotel room windows reveals Sammy in bed with Mai Britt, Lawford vigorously banging some blonde bimbo up against a mirror as he watches himself, Frank rolling with a coupla 2-dollah broads and Dino quietly staring at TV while he sips milk. All this as a great imitation of Martin's "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" plays.

As with any biopic there's some truth-stretching in this one, a few unintended inaccuracies (like 6' 2" Peter the same height as Frank), events manufactured "for dramatic purposes" and generous dashes of hyperbole. The folks depicted here however were truly bigger than life, as this always entertaining made-for-TVer so aptly illustrates. Definitely recommended!


Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.

(6.7) The Rat Pack (TV-1998) - Ray Liotta/Joe Mantegna/Don Cheadle/Angus Macfayden/William Petersen/Veronica Cartwright/Dan O'Herlihy/Barbara Niven/John Diehl"
Frank and the Pack!!
MARCOLA | Somewhere in Time... | 11/07/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"A very sad story about Frank Santra trying to help JFK get elected and after JFK got elected, he basicly turing his back on Frank Sinatra.
And people wonder what happened to JFK, Sinatra had ties to the Mafia.
That should tell you everything you need to know, you should never bite
the hand that feeds you!!
Sounds just like a Democrap!!
I rate this movie a 5 of 5 stars!!"