FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: All Or Nothing [DVD] [2002]

All Or Nothing [DVD] [2002]
enlarge	Director: Mike Leigh Actors: Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville, Alison Garland, Ruth Sheen, Marion Bailey Studio: Pathe Distribution Category: DVD List Price: ~~£12.99~~ Buy New: £3.49 as of 18/3/2010 12:25 GMT details You Save: £9.50 (73%) New (13) from £3.49 Seller: twentyfiveorless Rating: 10 reviews Sales Rank: 14716 Format: PAL, Widescreen Language: English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over Region: 2 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 123 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5060002835715 ASIN: B000Y5X602 Theatrical Release Date: 2002 Release Date: January 21, 2008 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review Writer-director Mike Leigh, after a brief detour into the period drama of iTopsy-Turvy/i, returns to the lives of contemporary working-class Brits. Phil (longtime Leigh collaborator Timothy Spall, iSecrets and Lies/i) is a quiet taxi driver whose marriage to Penny (Lesley Manville) has gone dry, though neither has quite realized it. They bicker with each other and their children and try to find some pleasure in going out with friends, but their friends have their own struggles--even Penny's coworker Maureen (Ruth Sheen), whose naturally buoyant personality is colliding with her resentful daughter's pregnancy. iAll or Nothing/i is among Leigh's bleakest films; the relentless misery of these characters' lives is hard to take. But thanks to the incredibly committed acting, when moments of tenderness come, they have a devastating impact. i--Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com/i

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 10 1 2 Next » So depressing its brilliant March 29, 2006 9 out of 11 found this review helpful I love Mike Leigh, the more depressing he is the better the film. This one is great, best watched when you want to feel good about your own life and hope that it never gets this bad!!!pLove it!!! Unbelievably depressingly good February 17, 2010 221b (Kent, UK) 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 about your own life - watching this film had quite the opposite effect on me, making me question the whole meaning of life and why we all even bother to struggle to survive. br / br /Having said that, this is a perfect example of brilliant British acting talent giving performances of their lives. Just to watch such accomplished, heart-wrenching portrayals of larger than life characters is a treat - some wonderful stage actors doing what they do best. To single out individuals is a little unfair when the whole ensemble is superb, but the performances of Lesley Manville and Timothy Spall particularly will stay with me for a long time to come. More bleak moments from Mike Leigh. March 1, 2008 Jonathan James Romley (Dublin, Ireland) 2 out of 3 found this review helpful Mike Leigh can always be counted on when it comes to presenting truthful, emotional and compelling British cinema. Over the past twenty years, he has progressed beyond the limitations of cosy teatime telly to present us with something that resonates with a sense of reality far more potent than that of our previous king of kitchen-sink despair, Ken Loach. When at his best, Leigh is a creator of honest and heartfelt, slice-of-life pictures that move effortlessly from scenes of warm humour, to moments of crippling despair; whilst always offering us a collection of characters that are viewed through the eyes of a central protagonist who, during the course of the film, undergoes a series of life shattering episodes that will eventually change their lives for better or worse. Given these characteristics, All or Nothing can be seen as a continuation - or even amalgamation - of his earlier films, Life is Sweet, Naked and Secrets and Lies. br / br /However, what with it's collective of quiet souls wracked with melancholy and unable to express any kind of heartfelt emotion (until those all important final scenes) it could be argued that All or Nothing is closest in tone to Leigh's very first film, the aptly titled Bleak Moments (only with the borrowed council flat locations of his other classic film, Meantime). The characters here are as affecting as I've ever seen in any other film (Leigh's included), whether it be the central performance of Timothy Spall as the emotionally pensive, though deeply philosophical London cab-driver Phil, or even the supporting players Alison Garland, Ruth Sheen, Paul Jesson, Sally Coker, et al, who watch from the balconies as a sort of low-rent Greek chorus, whilst bringing to the film a look of tired dejection that could only have come from a life built on years of failure, heartache and disappointment. It's certainly not a feel good film, with many of the ensemble ending up worse off than when the film began, with the themes and notions of loneliness, love, desire, obsession and escape all weighing upon the characters like rain clouds that are rarely broken by the slightest sense of hope. br / br /Some could argue that Leigh leaves a lot of questions unanswered with this film, with the improvised nature of his work meaning that many characters seem to be building to something (as they probably were, sub-textually) that we never get to see. However, as I see it, this merely serves to make the film more interesting and believable, with many characters ending the film with that real sense of daily uncertainty; as though Leigh is trying to suggest that although this chapter is finished, tomorrow brings more of the same, and the problems yet to be dealt with now will simply rear their ugly heads at a later date. If anything, this makes the film even more downbeat, with ideas and characters lingering long after the credits have rolled, which if nothing else, proves just how powerful and affecting this film really is. As I noted before, this is a greatly compelling piece of work, regardless of it's bleak misanthropy. Leigh's control over the idea of an improvised story is at it's strongest with this film, as he ably moves away from the limited scope of Life is Sweet or the meandering despair of Naked to present us with a picture that is gauged somewhere in between the two. br / br /The narrative arc is traditional in structure, with the story building gradually to a grandstand emotional confessional from Phil to his long-suffering wife Penny (played by Leslie Manville, in what must be her best performance to date) as decades of hidden feelings, thoughts and emotions come pouring out like his embarrassed tears. For me, it's the most important scene in the film, coming at just the right moment when we - the audience - much like Penny, aren't sure how much more of Phil's reserved detachment we can take. Spall is a real revelation hear, creating a sensitive character who often remains silent (save for the odd theoretical quip), though is able to convey more emotion in a single movement, walk or gesture than most actors could manage with a ten-page monologue. The scene in which he drives out to the beach to contemplate the direction of his life, while back home all emotional hell is breaking loose, is played completely without words and yet, we're never unsure of what it is that he is thinking. br / br /With each picture, Leigh's grasp of filmmaking is become more and more assured, as his characters become all the more captivating. Although it is true that All or Nothing doesn't really offer us any rational explanations or easy answers, it does at least present us with a blisteringly accurate and sometimes too painful to look at a slice of life, complemented by the meticulous filmmaking of Leigh and his technicians, and made all the more rewarding due to the peerless and always believable performances of Timothy Spall and Leslie Manville. All Or Nothing May 14, 2009 Mr. A. L. Marney (Kent.England) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful One of the best films I have watched,directed by one br /of the best,if not the best,of British directors. br / br /Superb acting. Real life, no frills July 7, 2003 Touring Mars (London, UK) 61 out of 62 found this review helpful 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.pThis 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.pThe 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.pI 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.pThis 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. Showing reviews 1-5 of 10 1 2 Next »

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