Film Review of All or Nothing
Year: 2002 Reviewer: Chris Docker
Taxi driver Phil (Timothy Spall), and his common law wife live a rather drab existence on a housing estate. Their lives, and those of their teenage children and neighbours, are a daily grind of arguments and getting through the day. What is remarkable about this film is that it rises above both kitchen sink comedy and ‘isn't life horrible' drama because the characters so finely observed, both their internal loneliness and their brash exteriors, and we can identify with and feel for their stumbling attempts towards meaningful emotional expression and affection towards each other. What is so unsettling perhaps is that the journey of getting in touch with our true feelings and finding ways to communicate them is a challenge that faces everyone, irrespective of income, breeding or intelligence. It is perhaps this universal quality, together with fine performances throughout, that make All or Nothing a minor masterpiece, although it makes so very few concessions to an entertainment-hungry public that, unlike the more upbeat Secrets and Lies, it may eventually languish in its own grime.
Rating: 8/10
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