A working-class family in London's East End is struggling to stay afloat during the recession under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's premiership. Only the mother Mavis is working; father Frank and the couple's two sons Colin, a timid, chronically shy individual and Mark, an outspoken, headstrong young man, are on the dole. This situation is contrasted by the presence of Mavis's sister Barbara, and her husband John, whose financial and social loftiness appears to be a comfortable facade over the unspoken soreness of a lackluster marriage.
Phil Daniels
as Mark
Tim Roth
as Colin
Jeffrey Robert
as Frank
Pam Ferris
as Mavis
Gary Oldman
as Coxy
Marion Bailey
as Barbara
Alfred Molina
as John
Tilly Vosburgh
as Haley
Leila Bertrand
as Hayley's Friend
Hepburn Graham
as Boyfriend
Peter Wight
as Estate Manager
Eileen Davies
as Unemployment Benefit Clerk
