ALL OR NOTHING (Mike Leigh, 2002) R

Reviewed: November 15th, 2002

Mike Leigh's famous for culling his scripts from months of rehearsals, a practice that can be as detrimental as beneficial. The detrimental defense calls attention to Exhibit A, Leigh's newest film All or Nothing. Despite featuring a bevy of top shelf performances (particularly Timothy Spall's exquisitely silent desperation and Lesley Manville's searing frustration), a few moments which had me on the verge of tears (during what I'll cryptically label "the extended dramatic climax involving a hospital"), and lots of fine writing/directing, All or Nothing suffers from that pesky ol' filmmakers' flea called Total Lack of Focus. Rest assured Leigh gleaned his standard treasure trove of material from said rehearsals, only problem is this time around he forgot to pare down, forgot to determine what isn't the least bit relevant to the story he's trying to tell (total irrelevant footage amounts to... gee let's see... a solid 3/5 of All or Nothing), and terminate with extreme prejudice. I believe Leigh's justification for the haphazard patchwork he's crafted would sound something like (and indeed, this is the argument a lot of critics latched onto for dear life) "uh... everything involves members of South London's working class" or "uh... everything involves residents of this shitty apartment complex in South London" or "uh... everything involves strained relationships between parents and children" but I, the judge, overrule such hogswaddle. Truth is, there's no justification for what Leigh's done besides as showcase, a 'best of' reel for above-the-line talent, though perhaps I'd be more charitable if Leigh hadn't so clearly played favorites. Ostensibly tracking three different sets of families, All or Nothing's running time is divided like such: very little time spent on family A, more time spent on family B, by far the most time spent on family C who eventually dominate the movie so severely the other two families are altogether abandoned. In a true ensemble piece -- a categorization which Leigh seems to be fervently striving for, mind -- each member of the ensemble must be treated equal. Leigh's favorite family (they're mine too) is Spall, his wife (Manville) and their two children. If only Leigh had the patience and discipline to stick with them for the whole film -- to heed his own title's warning -- we'd be talking potential greatness instead of the intermittently successful disappointment All or Nothing is.

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