Chewing the fat (All Or Nothing (DVD))

Member Name: cswann

Product:	All Or Nothing (DVD)
Date:	12/08/04 (169 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Realistic characters, Realistic story

Disadvantages: Perhaps a bit too realistic and tragic at times

Mike Leigh movies are not everyone’s cup of tea – I realise that.
I have always enjoyed watching them, perhaps as much because he features such brilliant actors, as because of their plots or the way they are directed. For me, movies with people like Alison Steadman or Timothy Spall – who are equally good on the big screen as they are on TV – are worth the price of admission regardless.

But Mike Leigh movies usually have that added reason to go and see them. They are always bittersweet, - oddly tragic, or tragically funny – and usually very memorable.

Leigh’s movie before “All or Nothing” was “Topsy Turvy”, the historical drama comedy about Gilbert and Sullivan. Now, this movie featured both Alison Steadman and Timothy Spall, as it happens, as well as other great actors such as Jim Broadbent. I have to say I found a lot of it tedious, but parts of it were highly enjoyable – and it won stacks of awards, so what do I know?

“All or Nothing” is more of a return to Leigh’s standard territory. And it deals with what will be more familiar subject matter to most of us – family life.
The movie stars Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville (again, she’s been in “Topsy Turvey” and Secrets and Lies” as well as many TV programmes – “Real Women” springs to mind).
It takes place in a South London housing estate and deals with the goings on among a working class family, the Bassetts. Spall plays a taxi driver – he mumbles along, is obviously not happy with much in life. He’s obviously a gentle kind of soul, but deeply troubled.
Manville plays his wife, Penny. Both have been ha
rbouring resentments over their lifetime, and when they have a lengthy talkout it’s extremely moving.

Their two children are extremely lazy and rude. Alison Garland plays Rachel, the daughter, who works as a cleaner in an old people’s home. Lazy, and unemployed, son Rory (played by James Corden, who played a similar role in TV’s “Fat people”). The two of them are portrayed as blobby fat good-for-nothings, for the most part – not that this a movie that goes in for stereotyping.

Neighbour Donna, played by Helen Coker, has a relationship Jason (Daniel Mays), a bit of a thug.
Paul Jesson plays his workmate, another cabbie, and his wife Carol (Marion Bailey) is an alcoholic.
The movie is basically the story of a few days in the lives of the family and their friends and neighbours. It features comedy, and it has a lot of pathos.
Maybe some of the supporting characters seem a little on the superfluous, but well, that’s real life, too, isn’t it?

Overall, I would recommend it. I’m a Leigh fan, though, and it won’t be to everyone’s taste.
It’s definitely not an escapist/feelgood/light entertainment kind of movie, though.
Cert 18
128 minutes long

The DVD features interviews with cast members, as well as a commentary from Mike Leigh – all which is very interesting, partly because of the way he works as a director, getting actors to create the script as they go along, often.

Currently at excellent bargain price of £6.97 on amazon.co.uk

Great stuff, definitely one of Leigh’s best and that’s saying quite a lot.

Summary: