Despite Brit jargon, film delightful
by Brian Abrams, reporter

    The cars drive on the wrong side of the road. Everyone drinks tea instead of coffee. You have to translate certain expressions such as “having a go at him.”

   Once past all of the British jargon, viewers will find All or Nothing a gruesome, hilarious and delightful film.

   Writer/director Mike Leigh (Naked, Secrets & Lies) delivers a sad story of a London family that has lost feeling for one another.

   Phil (Timothy Spall) drives a taxi to support his family, but he cannot seem to get up early enough in the mornings for the airport runs. He struggles in his everyday monotony to find purpose. His wife Penny (Lesley Manville) rides her bike every day to work the checkout line at the grocery store. She, too, is questioning her place in life. Their daughter Rachel passes the time as a housekeeper at a retirement home. Her obese and loaf of a brother Rory disgustedly lies on the sofa.

   Actress Marion Bailey gives an incredible performance as the alcoholic neighbor Carol, who spends her time apathetically much like Rory. While Carol smokes and drinks her poverty stricken miseries away, her daughter Cecile (Kathryn Hunter) teases the boy-troubled Donna.

   Donna, also fed up in her routine, constantly feuds with Jason, her self-centered boyfriend. Maureen, Donna’s mother, works alongside Penny at the market. Midstream, the ensemble cast comes full circle with an unexpected catastrophic event. The tragic happening draws everyone together for the title enlightenment.

   Two specific elements almost drag the picture to a mediocre level in 2002 movies. The dreary musical score, for one, makes a funeral hymn sound as appealing as the opening number to The Who’s reunion tour, and a finale scene lingers long enough for a non-rushed bathroom break.

   All considered, Leigh’s capturing of London blue collar life is moving and brings authenticity to the screen. A superb ensemble cast (see if you recognize actor Gary McDonald from Snatch) adds more reason to making All or Nothing a movie to add to your essential list. Leigh’s work easily makes the grade for the year’s 10 best.

   Now playing at the Angelika in Dallas, the film is rated R for language and sexuality.