All or Nothing (2002) Synopsis & Summary

Synopsis

After a rather decided departure with his 1999 homage to Gilbert and Sullivan, Topsy-Turvy, Mike Leigh returns to his usual form for All or Nothing, a melancholy look at the day-to-day lives of a dysfunctional lower-middle class British family called the Bassetts. Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville (familiar to fans of Leigh's previous films) star as Phil and Penny, a common-law husband and wife who toil their gloomy days away as a cab-driver and grocery-store cashier, respectively. When the couple come to realize the growing emptiness in their relationship, an unexpected emergency within their family brings them closer together and offers the possibility of reigniting the long-extinguished spark in their marriage. Hoping to repeat the Palm D'or win of Leigh's 1996 film Secrets and Lies, All or Nothing was screened in competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. - Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Movie Info

Theatrical Release Date:
10/25/2002
DVD Release Date:
02/18/2003
Rating:
R
MPAA Reasons:
for pervasive language and some sexuality.
Run Time:
128 min.
Distributor(s):
MGM/UA
Production Co.:
Thin Man Films
Director(s):
Genre(s):
Themes:
Families in Crisis, Class Differences, Crumbling Marriages, Down on Their Luck
Tone:
Drab, Grim, Melancholy, Reflective, Talky, Understated
Keywords:
cab-driver, cashier, death-in-family, family-strife, family-tragedy, life-changes, marriage-problems, working-class
Country of Origin:
USA - Limited (10-25-2002)
Language:
English
Status:
DVD