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Chrissie Cotterill, Charlie Creed-Miles, Edna Dore, Sam Miller, Steve Sweeney ... see more see more... , Kathy Burke , Jon Morrison , Gerry Bromfield , Leah Fitzgerald , Jamie Forman , Laila Morse , Terry Rowley , Ray Winstone , Jamie Foreman

A working class British family struggles with their demons -- sometimes violently -- in this intensely emotional drama that marked the directorial debut of actor Gary Oldman. Janet (Laila Morse) is a ... read more read more...widowed factory worker who shares her home with her aged mother Kath (Edna Dore), her daughter Valerie (Kathy Burke), her son Billy (Charlie Creed-Miles), and Valerie's husband Ray (Ray Winstone). Ray is an unstable and out-of-work alcoholic who often uses his pregnant wife as a punching bag, while Billy is a drug addict whose habit has led Janet to throw him out of the house more then once, only to take him back later. Janet is uncertain about what to do when Ray's latest tirade sends Valerie to the emergency room, and Janet also has to come to terms with the financial and emotional costs of Billy's addiction. Kathy Burke, Ray Winstone, and Laila Morse all received prizes from the 1997 British Independent Film Awards for their work in Nil by Mouth; Burke also received Best Actress honors at that year's Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

87% liked it

6,404 ratings

Critics

65% liked it

20 critics

R, 2 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Gary Oldman

Release Date: February 6, 1998

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DVD Release Date: December 23, 2003

Stats: 582 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (582)

  • Callahan441
    February 12, 2012
    Callahan441
    'Nil By Mouth' is a potent, relentless dose of real life; a portrait of the dead-end cycle of violence, abuse, addiction and poverty that occurs in cities all over the world.

    Though a trifle convoluted (there are a few scenes that contribute little or nothing to the film), it ... read moreis a genuinely moving, visceral experience. Don't be mistaken, this is not another trashy British gangster flick, far from it. Ray Winstone(Ray) and Kathy Burke (Valerie) are both tremendous, their performances stop the film from descending into the realm of 'The Football Factory' or 'Rise of the Footsoldier'. It's also the script that distinguishes it from such films which, on face value, appear comparable. The script has ample profanity, and I really mean ample, it's the most profane film I've ever seen, but it also has segments of real poignancy. Burke and Winstone interpreted the script perfectly. Winstone's performance is unsettlingly convincing; some may say he's one-dimensional, but he really is a rather good actor. It is Kathy Burke's moments that are the most moving, chiefly a scene where she desperately tells a white-lie: it's genuinely upsetting. It's these elements that rightfully spare it of romanticism, making it a mature, raw and affecting British drama.

    What's most tragic about 'Nil By Mouth' is Michelle's (Ray's and Valerie's 5-year-old daughter) exposure to the violence and anguish; it lays the path for the next generation of destitution and perpetual, senseless abuse. Michelle's brief but significant presence made me realise that there is a distinct cycle: there will always be the Ray figure in this cycle, the violent drunk that can wreak havoc on a whim; there will always be the Valerie figure, too, the enduring, docile wife that inadvertently allows him to inflict this misery on his family. With such abhorrence being witnessed in her formative years, Michelle is destined to become Valerie; it would take something remarkable to break her free from her sorry circumstance.

    'Nil By Mouth' is a film completely devoid of poetic licence, what you see is pure, candid realism. Ironically, the film isn't pure at all, it's gritty and unrestrained in its depiction of violence and vulgarity; one moment being particularly horrifying. To criticise the film for being 'unfocused' is missing the point. To me, it was an almost non-linear insight into the human condition, a film woven from the personal experiences of Gary Oldman and delivered with the utmost conviction from Burke, Winstone and indeed the whole cast.
  • matertenebraum
    February 10, 2011
    matertenebraum
    The words "gritty", "British" and "drama" usually and rightfully condemn a film to the Guy "Windsor" Ritchie hall of excrement . Having seen these terms applied to Oscar contenders like "Goodbye Charlie Bright", "Rancid aluminium" and "Love, honour and obey", I wasn't really expe... read morecting much from this film. Saying I was wrong would be a huge understatement. "Nil by Mouth" is an awesome achievement. A razor sharp dissection of a working class south London family that delivers the required punch on so many levels that you need to have a wash after watching it. It covers a vast spectrum of emotions that will see you (especially if you're British) laugh, cry and more often than not, hold your head in despair at witnessing an all too true account of what it is to be at the bottom of the British class system. It is unflinchingly brutal and somewhat depressing, yet at the same time shows how with guts, determination and a healthy sense of humour, people can survive even the most bleak and hopeless of situations. Kathy Burke is outstanding and Ray Winstone is dependable as ever, but Gary Oldman's screenplay and direction are the stars of the show. This script could stand on it's own as a fine social commentary on par, and not dissimilar from John King's "The Football Factory" and "Headhunters". Thankfully Oldman has also realised that in terms of direction, "gritty" does not have to mean the static, cold and quite frankly boring as hell style that so many British films have. The camera moves with a documentary feel energy, yet the slick cinematography keeps it from ever looking cheap. Quite simply one of the greatest British films of all time.
  • 76Majikat
    October 9, 2010
    76Majikat
    Bringing Gary Oldman back to his roots, his Directional Debut is a natural, well acted, realistic piece where he's used the number one rule; stick to what you know. Oldman uses a list of the usual suspects and close group of Actors with Ray Winstone, Kathy Burke, Jamie Foreman, ... read moreCharlie Creed-Miles and not forgetting his own sister Laila Morse.

    People who find bad language will find this film offensive as it is heavily laiden.

    The more this film is watched, the more you come to realise that it's not about drugs alone, this film (if anything could be summarised from it) is about addiction, whether that be drugs, drink, violence etc etc, it's a generational inheritance and a cycle not easily broken.

    The film builds up from a slow start and with little very structure to the storyline, I'm sure some people will find it hard to stick with, this is much more of a fly on the wall kind of Drama, looking at a section of one families lives during a time period.

    For some this will open eyes, for others it may be a little too serious and for some perhaps a little all too real.
  • bbcfloridabound
    April 22, 2010
    bbcfloridabound
    This film is from the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival, most of the films listed from this festival have been pretty good, but I have to be honest and say I didn?t get much out of this one. About people living in South London in a drug filled world and the problems they f... read moreace. Dull and Depressing and I have enough of that in my life. 1 Star
  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    A story about abuse and how it overpowers, overcomes and then spreads. A great cast does the story justice and Gary Oldman does a good job as director, I would like to see more from him! This is a great British film, fuck The Full Monty, watch this ya cunt!
  • tsigur
    February 23, 2008
    tsigur
    Gary Oldman should do more writing and directing. Brutal, but at the same time really touching.
  • kiriyamakazou
    July 2, 2007
    kiriyamakazou
    A brilliantly crafted drama from Gary Oldman. What starts off a recognizable British dark comedy descends into a hellish and brutal vision of drugs and domestic violence. Burke and Winstone give the performances of their career. It's dark and disturbing but also has a lot of unde... read morerlying humour and warmth. Realistic to an unsettling effect this certainly isn't Hollywood and is more similar to a fly on the wall documentary than anything fictitious. The shot composition results in every shot being a composed photograph, and the voyeuristic nature lets us look past blurred features in the foreground to what is really happening behind closed doors. Fantastic.
  • fb1142797643
    December 17, 2011
    fb1142797643
    So, this f*cking movie was written and directed by that shifty c*nt who played Sid Vicious and Dracula awhile back. Most of the f*cking thing just wallows in being as f*cking coarse, brutal and vulgar as it can possibly be, and more than a f*cking hour passes before the f*cking s... read morelice-of-life banter even reveals a f*cking story. Turns out the f*cking thing is about domestic violence, specifically a burly, hard-drinking c*nt (Ray Winstone) who beats up his wife and junkie son. The c*nt has one sympathetic scene where we're supposed to feel f*cking sorry for him because his own dad was just as much of a c*nt, but I wasn't having it.

    Watching this f*cking movie, I wondered if I was off my head and had already seen the f*cking thing a few years back. Then it hit me -- I was confusing it with f*cking "Once Were Warriors," which has a similar f*cking story of some mouthy c*nt terrorizing his mates. Except that was a better f*cking film. It also detailed some f*cking economic factors, which are oddly missing from "Nil by Mouth." Hard to know what these f*cking c*nts do for money -- I guess they're all on the f*cking dole. Nobody does f*ck-all except the f*cking c*nts serving beer in the pub.

    The f*cking accents are hard to understand, and even if you get past that, you're faced with f*cking London dialect and f*cking chaotic, overlapping dialogue. There's a f*cking kitchen-table scene at the end where the c*nts wrap up an important f*cking plot thread, and I couldn't make out most of what was f*cking said. What a f*cking pain.

    That c*nt Winstone gives a fantastic f*cking performance, but the whole movie revolves around him and no one else except maybe his f*cking mother-in-law is established as a strong f*cking character. However, there's one sweet f*cking scene where another woman unexpectedly sings a tune that will break your f*cking heart.

    The script did have one feature that grew quite tiresome.
  • littlecharmer1959
    April 28, 2008
    littlecharmer1959
    Bleak, depressing, gritty but still bloody good.
  • cacutshaw
    January 30, 2008
    cacutshaw
    Gritty, depressing and fascinating semi-autobiographical film from Oldman. I do remember subtitles on this one would've been nice though.

View All Nil by Mouth Reviews

Critic Reviews

Dan Fienberg
December 24, 2005
Dan Fienberg, Zap2it.com

There's so much authenticity and raw emotion here that most viewers will be able to excuse the fact that they don't understand any of the dialogue.

Dennis Schwartz
December 23, 2003
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

An uncompromising drama. Full Review

Carlo Cavagna
August 11, 2003
Carlo Cavagna, AboutFilm.com

Imagine a movie where every character is played by Gary Oldman, in the drunken overacting Oldman mode. Oldman's unfocused and self-indulgent directorial debut has moments of poignancy and insight, but...

Kevin Lally
September 9, 2002
Kevin Lally, Film Journal International

Oldman creates an uncanny documentary feel for his fictional story that draws you in despite the misery unfurling onscreen. Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum
September 7, 2011
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Derek Elley
March 26, 2009
Derek Elley, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

April 12, 2002
Globe and Mail

Click to read the article Full Review

Kevin Thomas
February 14, 2001
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Stanley Kauffmann
January 1, 2000
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic

No review available.

Joe Baltake
January 1, 2000
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

Click to read the article Full Review

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  • Who won 'Best Actress' at the Cannes Film Festival for her role as Ray Winstone's battered wife in the gritty movie 'Nil By Mouth'?  Answer »
  • Which of these movies does NOT star Robert Carlyle?  Answer »
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