All or Nothing **** (2002, Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen) – Classic Movie Review 1873

Writer-director Mike Leigh’s 2002 gem stars his regular actor collaborator, British national treasure Timothy Spall, who is brilliant as Phil Bassett, a London cabbie wallowing in a sea of troubles and bad fares.

Director Leigh’s look at life on a South-East London council estate over one long weekend is typically grim and downbeat. With his sad wife Penny (Lesley Manville) and tragic kids, Spall’s Phil finds life is anything but sweet in a dark and depressing but highly rewarding emotional rollercoaster of a movie.

Supermarket checkout woman Penny’s love for her taxi driver husband Phil has worn out. Their daughter Rachel (Alison Garland) cleans an old folks’ home for elderly people, while their aggressive son Rory (James Corden) is understandably unemployed. When an unexpected tragedy occurs, Phil and Penny rediscover their love.

Ruth Sheen, Marion Bailey, Paul Jesson, Sam Kelly, Kathryn Hunter, Sally Hawkins, Helen Coker, Daniel Mays, Ben Crompton, Robert Wilfort, Gary McDonald, Diveen Henry, Timothy Bateson and Edna Doré are also in the cast.

It was voted British Film of the Year at the 2003 London Critics Circle Film Awards and Lesley Manville was chosen as British Actress of the Year. ‘A true and wonderful film,’ says Roger Ebert.

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