All or Nothing

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All or Nothing ★★ 2002 (R)

A depressing tale about depressed and desperate people set in a grotty housing project in South London. Hangdog minicab driver Phil (Spall) can't even earn a decent wage to support his family, cashier common-law wife Penny (Manville), and their layabout son Rory (Corden) and misfit daughter Rachel (Garland). Their neighbors aren't any better off—stuck with abusive boyfriends, unplanned pregnancy, alcoholism, and the general dreariness of their daily lives. Leigh is known for his slice-of-life dramas but this just stays one-dimensional. 128m/C VHS, DVD . GB FR Timothy Spall, Leslie Manville, Alison Garland, James Corden, Paul Jesson, Ruth Sheen, Marion Bailey, Sally Hawkins, Ben Crompton, Helen Coker, Daniel Mays; D: Mike Leigh; W: Mike Leigh; C: Dick Pope; M: Andrew Dickson.