All or Nothing (2002)

This probably impressed me less than any other film by Mike Leigh that I've seen. But I mean that more as a compliment to Leigh than as a criticism of the film because its quite good by any normal standards. There's an odd quality to its narrative structure. The film has two distinctive halves. The first deals with the collective life of a housing project in Kent and seems almost like a British-ization of Bela Tarr's "Satantengo." It's relentlessly bleak- miserable people screaming at each other in conversations that go nowhere- and at times comes close to self-parody. I don't think I've ever heard the phrases "F--- off!" "You make me sick!" and "Care for a cup of tea then?" so many times in one hour. Yet, it retains a grim power, if for no other reason than the moments of mesmerizing cinematography by Dick Pope- its Leigh's visually splashiest film since "Naked"- and the characteristically wonderful score by Andrew Dickson. The second half focuses much more conventionally on one family, and is, taken in and of itself, one of the most warm and sentimental works Leigh has produced. Timothy Spall gives another great performance as a genuinely philosophical, and lazy, man. His marriage is put to the test. You feel happy at the out-come, but not sure its in anyone in the family's best-interest.

Fmovies: Mike Leigh makes this movie as a sociological study because he wants us to be confronted with the state of mind of the working class of now. There is more poverty in the slums nowadays than say twenty years ago! Family-life is disrupted and children have many problems: overweight, sexual harassment, abortion (?). How will the rent be paid? And the loan of the taxi? What is going on in the mind of our son who does only look television and eat until he becomes fat? Why is my woman unhappy, do we still talk to each other? We are proud of our daughter who is a nurse for elderly people, but what is happening with our son? Even the dialogues in the taxi are splendid!

I'm a huge fan of Mike Leigh and his latest does not disappoint. It is a typically well-acted working-class human drama. It has all of the elements you would expect from his films: the preoccupation with the effect of socio-economic conditions on the mental health & family/romantic relationships of working-class people, the theatrical exaggeration of certain characteristics almost to the point of making the protagonists into caricatures and of course the perfectly judged score which hits just the right note in setting the mood of the piece.

The film centres around the family unit of cab driver Phil (the always excellent Timothy Spall), his wife (Lesley Manville) who makes up for his deficiencies in providing for his family by working in a mundane supermarket job and their 2 overweight children marooned in an insular existence with little chance of escape. The main focus is on their relationships, inabilities to communicate and articulate, and their individual outlooks. All or Nothing is extremely successful at conveying all of these aspects.

Of course Leigh being Leigh also extends his portrayal to take in other dysfunctional characters living in the same demoralising high-rise housing flats. These include alcoholics, abusive partners in relationships and a young woman who uses her sexuality as a tool to escape the grim reality of her environment/ family situation.

His bleakest since Naked but perhaps better realised and more coherent. There are (thankfully!) some moments of hope and optimism which are characteristic ingredients of his films but the abiding impression is one of hopelessness in the face of grinding poverty and ruined lives. A brave piece of work and an absolute must-see.

All or Nothing fmovies. Mike Leigh's 'All or Nothing' features some of the trademarks of his best known films: naturalistic acting, moments of extreme poignancy, and a sensitive portrait of those for whom modern life is not easy. But it lacks the more comic characters who have often adorned his work. In their absence, the result is one of his most understated, and downbeat, movies since his debut feature 'Bleak Moments'; and in spite of little jewels in the script, at times its almost painfully hard to watch. Additionally, the portrait of a very white British underclass, and the empty streets of the estate where they live, doesn't quite seem in tune with life as it is actually lived today. To my mind (and despite the Oscar nominations won by 'Secrets and Lies) Leigh's best contemporary portraits remains his early 1990s trio: the bittersweet 'High Hopes', the hilarious 'Life is Sweet' and the coruscating 'Naked'; but as he followed this film with the brilliant period drama 'Vera Drake', maybe he simply needed a change of scene to refocus his vision. Still, this film is definitely a minor entry in his canon.

The previous reviewers describe the story's chemistry adequately. But why all or nothing?

Contrary to the other comments I did not find the protrayal dreary or depressing. To do so seems to me to show a lack of awareness of the people who live and work near us or for us; who breathe the same air we do.

These people don't live in a slum or a housing development. They live in their homes. They do not portray, as in too many other movies, special effects empty violence or emotionless skin sex scenes. They beg us to consider and respect the lives they really live and their search for the fuel to continue tomorrow. They don't need everything; they don't need it all. They simple need enough to enable their emotional existence, that's all; otherwise they have nothing.

"All or Nothing" finally arrived in Honolulu where there are people with dialects different from London and yet have the very same vacancies in their lives.

I vote to clone Director Mike Leigh!!

"All or nothing" was typical Mike Leigh. The acting was superb and the characters were realistic. His movies are more like a documentary than a screenplay. I become involved with the characters and I continue to think about them and their lives for a long time afterwards. The characters in this movie led bleak, sad lives. The small amount of happiness at the end of the movie isn't enough to overcome the bleakness of the story. I can't see how these people in the surroundings they live in and associating with the types of people portrayed in the movie could work their way out of their plight. Rory and Rachel are doomed to live in this bleak place. See, I get all involved with these characters. I think they are real. That is the power of Mike Leigh's films. This is a sad movie, an affecting movie. Ruth Sheen was the one bright spot, plus she has a lovely voice.