All or Nothing

Mike Leigh's All or Nothing (2002) returns Leigh to his more socioeconomic roots and steps away from the ambivalence of naked emotion that occasionally led Career Girls to flounder in a less than stellar narrative. Here the lower middle class are hindered by a lack of connection, communication, and true intimacy. Instead, they seek methods of escape as various as lying, ditching work, and harboring deep-seeded anger at their spouses.

Indeed, most of the characters self-destruct in fits of apathy and aggression, so that only Penny (Lesley Manville) comes away with a real appeal to honesty; and even she is unable to recognize that in the midst of her son's heart attack her daughter is also slowly deteriorating. Only those who are most clearly deteriorating are cared for emotionally, so that those who do not speak up are left to wither, never understanding that honest communication can bridge so many of the concerns that eat at them.

Leigh does a solid job, Timothy Spall's face as Phil is as expressive as ever, but the film never quite achieves the transcendent heights of Secrets and Lies or Naked. Instead, the film uncovers concerns of the lower class and dwells on them without ever truly positioning their concerns as those of everyone. As such, Leigh creates a distancing effect that is more than he truly desires to create, and this is the film's ultimate lack. It is strong, but never quite exceptional in the way that it aspires to be.

All or Nothing: 8/10