Parents' Guide to

All We Had

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Well-acted but listless mom-daughter drama has drinking.

Movie NR 2016 86 minutes
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A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 1 parent review

age 14+

ALL WE HAD

I would like my teen granddaughters to see it. Yes there is swearing (out of frustration) drinking (shown in a negative way) and sex (because of fear of being unlovable) This was a movie so true to many stories out there about displaced people living on the edge and doing the best they can, but unable to see beyond their next meal. I loved the ending. It can be what ever you want it to be. It weaves in kindness, hope, frustration, cruelty and unconditional love. Katie Holmes did a thought provoking movie close to a documentary reflective of so many peoples' lives. See it with your teens. Take a box of tissues though.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This mother-daughter drama marks Holmes' directing debut, and while it has strong performances, it limps along with no clear destination. Owen, as well as Eve Lindley as a diner co-worker and Luke Wilson as a semi-regular customer, all work well together on the screen, and the characters' budding friendships seem real and appealing. But that's about it. We see the mother-daughter bond evolve, but neither of the main characters seems to grow much. They're much the same at the end of the movie as they were at the start.

The movie's moments are stitched together with a plodding voiceover that has plenty of detail but little that drums up excitement. While viewers might like Ruthie, there's not much reason to get invested in her character, and there are lots of reasons to be skeptical about Rita's abilities. Holmes does a fine job portraying the flighty, self-indulgent mother, but acting alone can't make All We Had a compelling film.

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