Additional InformationFollowing 1999's Oscar-nominated period piece TOPSY-TURVY, acclaimed filmmaker Mike Leigh returns to the familiar terrain of modern, working-class London with ALL OR NOTHING. Yet another bittersweet slice-of-life drama conceived in Leigh's now legendary improvisational style, ALL OR NOTHING follows a group of dysfunctional families living in a London housing project who seem to have lost any glimmer of optimism and hope. Phil Bassett (Timothy Spall) works as a cab driver, while his wife Penny (Lesley Manville) holds a job as a clerk in a Safeway. Their two kids, Rachel (Alison Garland) and Rory (James Corden), are overweight and friendless. Nearby, Ron (Paul Jesson) and Carol (Marion Bailey) drink themselves into oblivion every night, while their sex-charged daughter Samantha (Sally Hawkins) attempts to conquer every boy on the block. Next door to them, Penny's coworker Maureen (Ruth Sheen) watches over her daughter, Donna (Helen Coker), who has been impregnated by her bitter, abusive boyfriend. In typical Leigh fashion, each character trudges through the muck of everyday existence, until a minor revelation sparks an understanding that brings hope to their sour lives. Featuring impeccably realised performances by the ensemble cast--most notably Spall and Manville--Leigh's film pays tribute to the exasperating institution of family.
ReviewsNew York Times - ...[Leigh's] process discourages vanity and produces performances of extraordinary depth..., Film Comment - ...Leigh thoroughly understands the dimensions of human misery in every form, and at times all one can do is stare agape at the emotional realities onscreen..., USA Today - ...[The film] has flashes of power..., Entertainment Weekly - ...Manville works in such natural, perfect sync with the unerring Leigh-ite Spall..., Total Film - ...ALL OR NOTHING is one of the director's signature ensemble pieces, expertly marrying comedy and pathos..., Rolling Stone - ...Strong stuff..., Sight and Sound - ...Leigh's films reflect the organic, improvised manner in which they are made....There is still a power to the formula and a beauty to the ritual...