The All Together (2007)

I can imagine that some people might be put off by the film's ironic attitude towards the media and gangster movies. Maybe it takes a spitefully uncommon sense of humour to go along with the teasing and (self-) depreciative mood that at times is exposed. The opening scene already dwells on this attitude, when exactly those things are performed that the lead character, a scriptwriter and would be writer, tells us he would never do in a movie. All the while you will get off comments that either give a deeper "truth" to or foil what you are seeing, and almost every aspect of modern culture is made fun of: TV, modern art (I believe Velibor Topic's character is not French like some reviewer said, but rather ex-Yugoslavian - hence his comment that it would be easy for him to get corpses in his home country, I simply cannot imagine that of France ;)), the close relations between the USA and the UK, religion, Batman, French movies etc. The real highlight of the movie is the wonderful soundtrack, music you are not likely to hear in other movies and I must admit that it incited me to look for at least digital copies.BTW Danny Dyer and Martin Freeman do get a scene together but one of them is no longer able to talk.

My experience with obtaining and viewing this particular film was probably the most frustrating I ever had. I went through tons of websites until I finally came across a copy of the movie (ordered it from a UK site, and I live in the US); and once it finally got to me, I couldn't play it on my DVD player or computer and had to download a special kind of $50 software just to play this one DVD (it is a region-2 disc, and I live where region-1 discs can only be played). When all was said and done, I was close to pulling my hair out. But you know what? It was all worth it.The main reason why I went through all the trouble to get this DVD was Corey Johnson. I am a big fan of him, and I really wanted to see this film. After I got past the Corey Johnson factor, I discovered just how clever and funny this film is.Chris (Martin Freeman, another actor I really like) and Bob (Velibor Topic) are two housemates with drastically different personalities: Bob is artistic (in the taxidermy-sense) and carefree while Chris is uptight and misery-laden. After putting the house on the market, Chris is entrusting Bob to look after the house and let in real estate agents while he fills in for a sick employee at his television-show job. Meanwhile, we have celebrity-spotting Dennis (Danny Dyer) and the snappily-dressed but moody gangster Mr. Gaspardi (Corey Johnson), who are discussing business in Dennis's Mercedes when Gaspardi falls ill from his dinner the night before. Gaspardi's nausea turns to bathroom panic, and the car pulls over in front of Chris's place. Dennis and Gaspardi entreat entrance into the house so Gaspardi doesn't explode from holding it all in, and Bob gladly obliges to let them in, mistaking them for realtors. What happens next is nothing short of a crazy situation, as ultra-cool Dennis (or so he thinks of himself) turns his gun on every person that comes into Chris's house, triggering a hostage crisis. The fact that at least 10 people end up in the home (and not all of them are realtors!) is enough to make your head spin from trying to keep up with everyone. It doesn't help to take it seriously either with Gaspardi humming to himself as he sits on the can.So what did I love about this movie besides Corey Johnson and his neurotic Mr. Gaspardi? To begin with, I loved the other characters, especially Bob and his philosophically-challenged numbskull dialogue. Dyer is funny with his arrogantly gleeful Dennis, and you can't help but feel bad for Freeman's Chris after all he's gone through during the film. Supporting actors Jonathan Ryland (the Capital One guy!) and Charles Edwards are great in their own roles as two of the confused and highly-vocal real estate agents. The script's premise may sound a little simple at first, but it works out very nicely for each scene that it cuts to next. The music is awesome too; I personally loved each and every one of the songs used in this movie, and my taste in music is extremely picky.From what I gather reading the other reviews of this movie, the reactions are mixed. And rightfully so, since I think everyone has their own taste in comedy and in what makes a good comedic premise. I personally thought it was a great comedy from start to finish, and that it's definitely worth a peek. My hope is that you'll have a better time locating and playing the DVD than I did! My grade: A, 10/10

This little film has some terrific dialogue. It's deceptively smart and really proper rather than pretend funny which I find most things i watch. Freeman is excellent as usual as other lots of the other actors who I was less familiar with. Very hectic and pretty short but mainly it's the amount of big laughs that really grabbed me. Read some pretty negative reviews which was odd. Maybe cos a least two of the characters are quite scathing with swipes about some British TV and film. Also much hatred of the cult of celebrity in particular and got flack for this I think. Anyway if you're into crash bang wallop pictures don't bother with this. It's very dialogue-heavy, little 'action' but lots of laughs. I would say its limitations are obvious however and if watching truly low-budget films ain't for you don't bother.

Was a flip between this and 28 weeks later. Glad I made the decision to see this film. It felt rough along the edges, and there was a small period of time when I wondered if this was to be a chuckle once film. However, as the story built it simply got funnier. The storyline was so obscure and unusual that it felt fresh, and original, even if it was a bit low budget. With an array of strange characters, A low grade "gangster", a crazy screwed up TV presenter and even a clown, this films suited to those people that need a laugh, and don't expect a big budget Mel Gibson thriller. Think of this film as a low budget Shaun of the Dead.