All You Need

I absolutely loved this film from the moment it opened. The photography in the beginning was gorgeous! I knew this was "my" film as soon as the family started talking over Thanksgiving dinner. The mom over did herself (again), the Grandmother just isn't all there, and of course the siblings argue over who will say grace. Then after the meal of course the guys watch football and the women do the dishes. And all of this happens, and then what do we do? Relive the nightmare all over again at Christmas... only this time the grandparents out do themselves with gift giving, and the stressful holiday season tends to bring out the worst in families. I felt like the writer of this film had to have lived in my home!

The language was a bit strong, but considering the circumstances of the situations these characters were put through... it's something that can be overlooked. I thought the director did a wonderful job with this film, and the actors were flawless. I think this film was very inspirational on the part of Kellie Martin's character overcoming her broken marriage, drunken mother, and her quest to find her true love. In the end, this film shows it is important to take care of ourselves - physically and emotionally - because "we're the only person we have to live our entire life with."

Good points, good script, the jokes were funny, and the photography was beautifully done! I hope it'll come out on video soon!

I saw a screening of "All You Need" at the 2001 Savannah Film and Video Festival at which this film won the Best Feature Award. This movie takes what could viewed as a somewhat trite subject, topic, and setting and re-invents them. The screenplay is entertaining and engaging, I never got bored. The direction is crisp and camera placement nice. Perhaps the most outstanding aspect of this film is the performance of Janet Carol as the mother. She pours her heart in a gut-wrenching and at times dispicable character, yet she manages to wrestle sympathy from the viewer at the same time. I had a chance to talk with the producer and was told that this film will receive a much deserved theatrical release.

The first hour hardly makes sense, the characters are inconsistent. Kellie Martin can't get past TV acting. It screams family dysfunctioanl drama cliché all the way through. I don't know why this was even picked up by a distrubitor. Boycott bad movies that steal the bread and butter from good independant movies that defy typical everything.

It's not the most original film ever written or produced, but it is an interesting story of a young woman who is learning to make her own decisions. Kellie's character, Beth, has always done what's expected of her. In this movie, Beth has to live her own life for a change. Kellie Martin is sincere and honest and she looks great. The rest of the cast is fine, too. The film might have done better as a Lifetime movie or something similar... more people would have seen it that way. I hope to see more work by Kellie Martin and Randy Ser in the future.

"Division of Assets" is now called "All you need", easy, catchy, and totally anonymous. Very well written, excellent acting and very convincing setup for a little independent production (under a million budget). Unfortunately the themes are not exactly original (the alcoholic mother, the Thanksgiving dinner which focus the underlying tension) nor is the execution. Nor is the "as good as it gets" philosophizing. Yet the move is fresh and funny, and it won't probably be seen outside of the video market, which makes people wonder about the fairness of the current distribution who choose what YOU will see.