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A 2002 Mike Leigh drama, All or Nothing is at times almost unbearably bleak and poignant, yet funny, truthful and richly rewarding. The film's revolves around Timothy Spall's mini-cab driver, his family and the various characters and acquaintances on the South-east London estate where he lives. It's perhaps even better than Secrets and Lies, in which Spall also starred, which was marred a little by some of the tearful excesses of Brenda Blethyn's bravura performance. It's evidence that Leigh has matured and improved with age, rather than mellowed and softened. He's developed into a highly distinctive but rounded and humane filmmaker.
Spall's cabbie is too gentle and thoughtful to be described as a slob, but his lack of even the most basic ambition and stoic non-resistance to life has created an unspoken rift between him and wife Penny (Lesley Manville). Working on a supermarket checkout, she must cook dinner and fend off insults from her fat, frustrated, obnoxious 18-year-old son Rory. She receives only passive sympathy from her older daughter Rachel. Only when Rory is taken ill is Phil snapped out of his torpor as the family pull together.
A host of minor characters also feature; fatuous cabbie Ron (Paul Jesson) his alcoholic wife and sluttish daughter, as well as the wonderfully good-humoured and resilient Maureen, Penny's best friend, concerned at her daughter's relationship with a violent boyfriend. Once accused of caricaturing his "lower class" characters, here Leigh (with the collaborative assistance of his actors) exhibits them in all their authentic complexity, neither idealising nor sentimentalising them.
On the DVD: All or Nothing's extras include the original trailer, as well as interviews with several members of the cast. Timothy Spall is interesting on the unnerving process of collaboration favoured by Leigh, whereby characters are "built from zero" by the actors. The smart and rather posh Lesley Manville strikes quite a contrast in real life with her mousey, put-upon character. There's also a meticulous and absorbing commentary from Mike Leigh, who talks about filming in Greenwich and how he has moved away from some of the more dogmatic ideas about filmmaking of his earlier, avant-garde days. --David Stubbs
Product Description
Mike Leigh returns to gritty drama after his last big-screen outing with 'Topsy Turvy' in 1999. Penny (Lesley Manville) lives with her long-term partner, taxi-driver Phil (Timothy Spall), and works on the checkout at a supermarket. Their daughter Rachel (Alison Garland) cleans in a home for elderly people, and their son Rory (James Corden) is unemployed and aggressive. The joy has gone out of Phil and Penny's life, but when Rory becomes ill and has to be rushed to hospital, they begin to rediscover their love.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
72 of 73 people found the following review helpful
By Touring Mars
VINE™ VOICE
Format:DVD
Mike Leigh's 'All or Nothing' is a film all about emotions, and how deeply emotional ties within families can run just inches below the surface of everyday life. This is a study of real life, with no frills, and no need for a sensational story or events. Indeed, as such, it is a touch on the heavy-going side, and at times it is pretty depressing stuff... but that is because of the range of emotions that the film explores... loneliness (even within marraige), desperation and hopelessness, the humilation of having to scrape a living and have nothing left at the end of the month, and the sadness of watching love fade. On a par with some of Ken Loach's work, this movie could have been called any number of things, ('Life Is Hard' perhaps??), but is called 'All or Nothing' simply because that is how Phil feels about his faded relationship with his wife. Struggling through life day-to-day, he finally realises that it is the fact that his wife no longer loves him that is the cause of his 'thousand-yard stare', and that he finds the thought of life without her love unbearable. The depth and power of his emotions when he finally confronts his wife about whether she loves him anymore is conveyed perfectly by the two principal actors. Their embrace near the end of the film is one of true passion, and is a hugely emotional and perfectly played scene.
This is not Saturday night at the movies stuff, but what do you expect from Mike Leigh? Instead, this is a brilliant and moving character study, with absolutely first class acting throughout, especially from the two lead characters played by Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville. The look (and sound) of the film is fittingly sober, plain and sensitive. The story plays out in a run-down estate in South East London (Greenwich apparently), but could be set anywhere really.
The excellent commentary from Mike Leigh himself is a real treat, and is worthy of a listen, especially if you're interested in the art of filmmaking. Leigh (as usual) takes great delight and obvious pride in describing various aspects about the movie, from the outstanding cast, to the variety of other talented people who put this film together.
I can't see myself watching this film too many times, as like I say, it's not exactly a feel-good movie. Building up slowly, and finishing relatively abruptly, this movie takes a bit of patience and is pretty emotionally draining to watch as well. But it is worth a repeat viewing or two simply to revel in the brilliance of the acting talent on show here. There are very few laughs in this movie... it even makes 'Secrets and Lies' look like a laugh-riot in comparison, but ultimately this film has hope and reconcilliation as it's take home messages, and as such is a fairly uplifting film despite being desperately sad in places.
This film may not impress the Jonathon Ross's of this world, but it sure as hell impressed me (and the judges at the Cannes Film Festival who nominated it for the Palme D'Or in 2002)... but don't take my word for it (or Jonathon Ross's).. watch, learn, and be moved.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Life is Sweet, Secrets & Lies, Naked - I mention these particular films of Leigh because they are all brilliantly contemporary in their own way -films with real heart, guts and soul. But All Or Nothing doesn't rank among these - it doesn't even come close.
There is no or little plot and maybe that's the point - just an impressonistic view of lonely and desperate lives. But what I felt this mostly suffered from a lack of real characters. Instead the film presented one-dimensional - and frankly annoying types. Lesley Manville (a great actress) was mostly winsome and whiny and Timothy Spall (like Manville, generally always excellent) was detached and eternally self-pitying. And the younger characters - except heart-of-gold cleaner Rachel, a performance of great subtlety by Alison Garland - were even worse, angry teenage stereotypes. And all deliver cliched stilted dialogue, the worst I've heard in a Mike Leigh film. This is a shame because the big emotional climax - that Mike Leigh stalwart - doesn't pack the punch it should. Most of all, All Or Nothing lacks purpose - and because of this, it almost feels like a Mike Leigh film by numbers. Watching this, I felt distanced - none of it felt realistic and all the swearing (that is supposed to represent "real dialogue"), anger and shouting made little difference. Bleak? Tedious, more like.
Watch Nil By Mouth to see how London working class depseration should be done, a film that feels like it really has something to say. Strong characters, brilliant performances, kick in the gut scenes and in the end genuine heart.
There is no or little plot and maybe that's the point - just an impressonistic view of lonely and desperate lives. But what I felt this mostly suffered from a lack of real characters. Instead the film presented one-dimensional - and frankly annoying types. Lesley Manville (a great actress) was mostly winsome and whiny and Timothy Spall (like Manville, generally always excellent) was detached and eternally self-pitying. And the younger characters - except heart-of-gold cleaner Rachel, a performance of great subtlety by Alison Garland - were even worse, angry teenage stereotypes. And all deliver cliched stilted dialogue, the worst I've heard in a Mike Leigh film. This is a shame because the big emotional climax - that Mike Leigh stalwart - doesn't pack the punch it should. Most of all, All Or Nothing lacks purpose - and because of this, it almost feels like a Mike Leigh film by numbers. Watching this, I felt distanced - none of it felt realistic and all the swearing (that is supposed to represent "real dialogue"), anger and shouting made little difference. Bleak? Tedious, more like.
Watch Nil By Mouth to see how London working class depseration should be done, a film that feels like it really has something to say. Strong characters, brilliant performances, kick in the gut scenes and in the end genuine heart.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By schumann_bg
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
I'm not normally especially keen on Mike Leigh films, but this one is the best, for me, and I'm convinced it is a masterpiece. The empathy for the characters is unambiguous, particularly the married couple at the heart of it. Timothy Spall has been an anchor in other Leigh films, but here he gives the performance of a lifetime, making us feel the depth of sadness and disillusion of this taxi-driver who has really run out of hope and self-respect. He gets such humanity into the character, so that the events lead to a confrontation between the couple of almost unbearable emotion. Yet it is not as bleak as many of his films, for all the sombreness that characterises much of its running time. I think it is this upward turn that makes it easier to watch than something like Naked, excellent though that film is too. This film shows the flame of human goodness to burn as brightly in this ordinary man as it could in anyone, yet it is the kind of goodness that often passes unnoticed, indeed it does here by most of his family members for most of the film. The daughter is also very touching - just the sight of her walking alone by the river conjures such compassion in the viewer thanks to the subtle way Leigh reveals character and inserts an ordinary but telling moment like this with such a sure sense of timing.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
most depressing dvd
Very bleak story, setting, characters. Although this may be realistic it was hard work to watch. Excellent actors, well cast
Published 1 month ago by Tosh
4.0 out of 5 stars
Difficult mike leigh film
Its easy to judge this film as pale in comparison but putting prejudice aside its a pretty good film its not perfect but its interesting enough to keep you watching. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Neil Horn
2.0 out of 5 stars
Gloomy
I only watched this because it stars the brilliant Timothy Spall. But, sorry, it's just tedious. Good acting but I struggled to stay awake. Gloomy.
Published 6 months ago by Katie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Leigh's Powerful, Humane Drama
Mike Leigh's 2002 film All Or Nothing is another extraordinary film from this master film-maker, portraying as it does a relatively short episode in the lives of a number of... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Keith M
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible
A must-watch for any Mike Leigh fan. Stunning performances and a gripping narrative. Compelling and beautiful. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Ryan Stanley
5.0 out of 5 stars
All Or Nothing Mike Leigh
All Or Nothing is an excellent film, Mike Leigh is a wonderful writer, the actors are very well cast as always with any Mike Leigh dramas, but Timothy Spall well, he is something... Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2011 by Mrs K athleen Heath
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unbelievably depressingly good
This is Mike Leigh's darkest, most overwhelmingly life-crushing piece. I have to disagree with another reviewer's comment that you should watch this if you want to feel better... Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2010 by 221b
5.0 out of 5 stars
All Or Nothing
One of the best films I have watched,directed by one
of the best,if not the best,of British directors.
Superb acting.
of the best,if not the best,of British directors.
Superb acting.
Published on 14 May 2009 by Mr. A. L. Marney
2.0 out of 5 stars
TOO much 'Mike Leigh'
Sorry, but much as i bow down to the masterpieces that are 'Secrets and Lies's and 'Naked', this is a 'Mike Leigh' too far... Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2008 by Mr. David L. Gill
5.0 out of 5 stars
More bleak moments from Mike Leigh.
Mike Leigh can always be counted on when it comes to presenting truthful, emotional and compelling British cinema. Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2008 by Jonathan James Romley
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