Amber Appleton loves to help others. She volunteers and teaches. She helps her school’s drama club put on productions and lobbies the school board for better wheelchair access. And every year she helps organize “The Variety Show” (a talent show that helps raise money for various school causes—such as replacing the marching band’s stolen tuba).
The best thing about Amber is that she does it all with a cheerful spirit. “It’s insufferable,” says Joan, Amber’s cynical friend from the nursing home she works at. But really, everyone (including Joan) loves Amber and her constant joy.
However, as happy as Amber seems, she’s keeping a pretty big secret from those closest to her: She and her mom, Becky, are homeless, living inside the school bus that Becky drives for a living. And while they’re both optimistic about the future, they’re also too proud to accept help from others. But if Amber wants to improve her situation in life, she’ll have to figure out how to accept the gifts that others want to give her, even if it makes her uncomfortable.
Because Amber is so kind to others, people are eager to help her in any way they can. For example, she tutors her boss so he can pass his GED exam, and in return he lets her off work early.
However, Amber is uncomfortable receiving these gifts. She turns them down with a smile and insists she can handle things on her own. It isn’t until her friend Ty explains that she’s actually doing these people a disservice by refusing their help that she finally starts to understand that people don’t just want to help her, they need to.
Although Amber and Becky have the occasional spat over their living and financial situation, Becky really does try her best to care for her daughter. And Amber recognizes her devoted efforts, thanking her mom for supporting her and helping out with money wherever she can.
Donna, the mother of Amber’s best friend, Ricky, provides a safe place for Amber to go when Becky fails to do so. She takes care of Amber and helps her to confront Becky when necessary.
A teacher encourages his student to channel her pain through her art. A young man overcomes his stage fright at the encouragement of his friends.
Amber teaches English as a second language at a church, and a pastor presides over the class. Song lyrics talk about animals dying and going to heaven.
A teenage couple holds hands and kisses. We see a girl in a towel. Someone asks an adolescent girl if she “hooked up” with a guy. There is a euphemism about arousal. We hear about an unwed couple living together. A girl does a tango with a life-sized puppet. Song lyrics say a girl kissed a soldier.
We hear that a couple died in a car wreck because the driver was drunk. Amber says Becky left Oliver (her ex-boyfriend) because he hit her. The lyrics of a song imply that streetcar line breaking caused several deaths. Someone watches Breaking Bad on television, and we see a couple of scenes from the show where people get beaten up.
We learn that Amber’s dad died from heart failure when she was 12. Because her mom didn’t have any family or friends to rely on, things slowly started to fall apart for the two of them at that point.
We hear one use each of “a–,” “d–mit” and “h—.” There is also a pun about dog breeds that sounds like the s-word. God’s name is misused five times.
Becky is a recovering alcoholic, and we see her drunk on one occasion. Amber points out that whenever Becky is around Oliver, she relapses since he enjoys hanging out at bars. We hear about people drinking and driving.
Amber has to give her dog painkillers on occasion. Twice, we hear a song that talks about a monkey chewing tobacco and a goose drinking wine.
Despite Amber’s pleas for Becky to stay away from Oliver, Becky continues to return to him, relapsing in her struggle with alcoholism each time. She also refuses to stay in a homeless shelter because she doesn’t want people questioning her parenting.
Becky’s stubborn pride reaches a peak when Becky and Amber gets caught living on the school bus (which they were doing illegally), and Becky gets fired. She subsequently decides to move back in with Oliver, and Amber flat-out refuses since she doesn’t feel safe with him.
As a result, Amber runs away for the weekend with Ty. When she returns, she decides to stay with Donna and Ricky, offending and hurting Becky. [Spoiler Warning] However, before Amber can reconcile with Becky, Becky dies. Amber blames herself for her mom’s death and finds ways to punish herself for how she treated her mom. (She disconnects emotionally, drops out of school to work 70 hours a week, pushes her friends away and eventually misses an audition that would’ve gotten her a scholarship for college.)
Amber and her friends discuss purchasing something on the dark web. A girl’s backpack is stolen. A boy says he might throw up. Ty gets scolded for not telling his parents about taking Amber to their vacation home.
All Together Now packs inspiring messages into a story that takes some hard turns, some of which could trigger viewers who’ve struggled with similar things. Amber’s dad died suddenly when she was very young. Becky’s slide back into alcoholism’s grip is tough to watch. Amber and Becky’s desperate struggle to make ends meet isn’t enough, forcing them into homelessness. And another death rocks Amber’s world too.
However, Amber and Becky keep hope throughout the film. Becky knows things aren’t great, but she never lets her daughter give up on her dreams. And even though Amber loses sight of those dreams for a while, she finds hope again through her community of friends.
It’s ironic that someone who willingly lends a hand to every cause is unable to receive any handouts from others. However, Amber eventually learns that her pride is the thing holding her back, not her inability to provide for herself. And she decides to trust the people around her to take care of her just as she’s always taken care of them.
A handful of mild profanities, as well as Becky’s tough situation, are the concerns parents will want to be aware of. Families who choose to navigate these issues will find a touching story that could serve as a springboard to deeper conversations about tough real-world issues such as addiction, homelessness and the connection between them.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
