|
| . |
|
All or Nothing 2002 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Mike Leigh
R, 128 min. (pervasive language, some sexuality) |
 |
Starring: Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville, Alison Garland, James Corden, Helen Coker, Ruth Sheen
Producers: Simon Channing-Williams, Alain Sarde
Screenplay: Mike Leigh
Cinematography: Dick Pope
Distributor: United Artists
Released: 10.25.02 (Limited) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
After a brief departure with the critically-acclaimed Topsy-Turvy, director Mike Leigh has returned to his roots with
All or Nothing, a hauting look at contemporary working-class Londonites who barely have the fortitude to make it through
another bland day. This intense character study intersects several families and their struggles to find relief in the morass
of unrealized hopes and dreams, reluctantly accepting the oppression that has become their lives. The film is blessed
with heartfelt performances, a strong screenplay, and one of the year's most moving and honest scenes. Only a slow
first act keeps All or Nothing from greatness. As it is, the film puts similar studies of the family unit to shame.
Leigh introduces us to several characters, the main focus being on Phil Bassett (Timothy Spall), a taxicab driver whose
droll expression and sad eyes tell the state of his apathetic, dejected lifestyle. His family is equally sullen - his
common law wife, Penny (Lesley Manville), is a checkout clerk at Safeway; his plump daughter, Rachel (Alison Garland), is
a cleaner at an old-folks' home; and his obese son, Rory (James Cordon), is the epitome of laziness and pointless existence.
There are others. They include Penny's friends, Carol (Marion Bailey) and Maureen (Ruth Sheen), whose daughter, Donna
(Helen Coker), is pregnant and abused by her boyfriend. Carol's daughter, Samantha (Sally Hawkins), wanders the
neighborhood looking for companionship away from her incompetent parents. When a crisis occurs in the Bassett family,
they begin to re-examine their lives and search for inner truths that will help them break free of years of hopelessness.
If there's a sense of desperation to Leigh's characters, it's not by accident. Although outwardly they are pathetic, dreary
creatures who long to be put out of their misery, they also long for someone or something to shake them out their slumber,
to give them reason to go on living. Although Leigh narrows his focus on the Bassett family, especially the strained
relationship between Phil and Penny, his care for the peripheral characters is equally palpable. He tips his hand to their
true feelings when the crises ensues, bringing them face to face with their own inexact identities.
The strength of the film comes from Leigh's attention to detail in the minimally important scenes. See how family members
brush off each other's concerns and fears with profanity, yet underneath the considerable defenses they are tender,
responsive people who need to be told that they're loved. Rory is the clear example of this, a malcontent whose lack
of direction and purpose drive his outward hostility toward his mother and his indifference toward his father. And
Donna's terse responses to her mother's concerns are her way of saying that she appreciates her concern for her well-being.
Finally, although Samantha's hollow attitude reaches the boiling point with her apathetic parents, she still cares enough to live with
them.
But All or Nothing's penultimate moment occurs in its final ten minutes, which includes a scene that is so powerful that it
overshadows everything that has come before it. As Phil reacts to Penny's onslaught of verbal jabs at his meager existence
and faults, the scene turns to heartbreak and a bubbling-over of emotions that have been pent-up for years. Phil confonts
Penny with his frustration over her unloving attitude and asks if she still loves him. This is a completely broken man
who needs the reassurace of a loving woman in return. This gripping scene is comparabe to last year's best scene
in the searing In the Bedroom, except anger is replaced with heartache and the need for understanding.
It's as strong a closing act in a film that I've seen in quite some time, with a pitch-perfect ending that brings hope to
dismay. It's as if the characters are willing to break free from years of emotional baggage and embrace their rekindled
relationships. Most films don't even know these kind of characters exist.
© 2003 Jonathan Cornwell
|
|
 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
© 2000 - present ReelCriticReviews
All movie pictures are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of their respective holders
Their use on this site is for informational purposes only and does not imply ownership
|
