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Meantime Details

1983

60
from 2187 members

Starring	Marion Bailey, Phil Daniels, Tim Roth, Pam Ferris
Director	Mike Leigh
Genres	Drama

Meantime

Director Mike Leigh presents another slice-of-life drama--this time focusing on a family of acerbic, terminally unemployed working-class Britons languishing in their East End council house. Frank (Jeff Robert) and Mavis (Pam Ferris) are the endlessly bickering parents of Mark (Phil Daniels) and Colin (Tim Roth). Colin is a slow-witted teenager who strikes up a disturbing friendship with Coxy (Gary Oldman), a local neo-Nazi. His aunt Barbara (Marion Bailey) tries to lure him out of his shell by hiring him to help her wallpaper her new house. Unfortunately, Mark becomes jealous over this attention shown to his younger brother, triggering a series of taunts that convince Colin into rejecting his aunt's friendly offer. Not content in her own marriage to John (Alfred Molina), Barbara turns to the bottle to help dilute her inner pain. As the days wear on, the hopelessness of each individual's lives begins to catch up with them. As is the case with most of Leigh's films from the late 1980s (HIGH HOPES, LIFE IS SWEET), there is a bittersweet, comic quality to the story that keeps it from becoming completely pessimistic. This exceptional film also benefits from excellent performances by Bailey, Daniels, Oldman, and especially Roth.

Starring	Marion Bailey, Phil Daniels, Tim Roth, Pam Ferris, Jeff Robert, Alfred Molina, Gary Oldman
Director	Mike Leigh
Studio	SPIRIT ENTERTAINMENT
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 42 mins
Certificate
Genres	Drama
Language	DVD: English
Hearing-impaired	English
Released	Production year: 1983 To Rent: DVD: 11 Jul 2005

Most helpful member's review of Meantime
View all members' reviews (31)
- - 17
  - 1
  typical 80s england
  
  a very down to earth and typical english film this will remind a lot of people of how the 80s was
  
  Report this review
- 154280
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - a customer
  - not where i wanna be
  - 28 Sep 2005 at 10:41
Most recent members' reviews of Meantime
View all members' reviews (31)
- - 0
  - 0
  I think I use to live next door to these people...
  
  Hits the nail on the head with a brilliant look at life in the 80's, you could smell the benefits he got so close to the situation. Brilliant performances ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1010397
- - MsLilly
  - 244 reviews
  - London
  - 27 Jun 2011 at 17:01
- - 1
  - 0
  A taste of great Mike Leigh to come!
  
  This was the second Mike Leigh film i'd ever watched (after Life is Sweet) many years ago.
  
  I love to revisit his films as you get to see some ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1004571
- - a customer
  - 13 Jun 2011 at 23:39
- - 0
  - 3
  Trash and Nonsense
  
  What on earth is this movie trying to say? How awful life is for these people? Got that in the first few minutes. What a waste of time watching this. Not a ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 920003
- - a customer
  - Scotland
  - 02 Sep 2010 at 06:49
View all members' reviews (31)
News and features
View all
Leigh returning to Berlin film festival as jury president
- WENN Newsdesk
- 02 Dec 2011
Revered director Mike Leigh will head the judging panel at next year's (12) Berlin International Film Festival. The Vera Drake legend's first feature film Meantime debuted at the festival back in 1984, and he only returned in 2008 when Sally Hawkins won Best Actress prize at the event for her starring role in his comedy Happy-Go-Lucky. Leigh's big screen work has garnered great acclaim from critics throughout his career, and he's collected the top prizes at film festivals in Cannes, France,... Read more
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Rating breakdown

2,187 Member ratings

100	140
90	141
80	363
70	371
60	459
50	255
40	203
30	111
20	88
10	56

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- Meantime
  
  Director Mike Leigh presents another slice-of-life drama--this time focusing on a family of acerbic, terminally unemployed working-class Britons languishing in their East End council house. Frank (Jeff Robert) and Mavis (Pam Ferris) are the endlessly bickering parents of Mark (Phil Daniels) and ...