Adult brothers Mark and Colin Pollock still live with their parents Frank and Mavis Pollock in a small apartment in the projects of London's east end in what is a collective depressed and unhappy existence. The three men of the household are all on the dole, each doing little to find gainful employment. Between the brothers, Mark is the smart aleck, who calls his parents by their given names to irk them, and who hangs out with a bunch of hooligans as he refers to himself and his friends, such as a skinhead named Coxy. Although never medically diagnosed as such, Colin is seemingly emotionally slow. Colin likes to hang out with Mark and his friends in his want to be accepted, especially as Mark tells him that a neighborhood girl named Hayley is interested him. The family rarely socializes with Mavis' sister and brother-in-law, Barbara and John, who live a middle to upper middle class and seemingly perfect existence in the suburbs of Chigwell. Although not telling them to their face, John dislikes his relations by marriage, believing especially Mark to be brash and trashy. A unilateral act by Barbara leads to many issues within the extended family coming to the surface, most specifically the true happiness of the marriage between Barbara and John, and what Colin is truly looking for to be happy in life.
剧情就是一部片子的主线，就是这部影片的灵魂，如果一部片子没有一个好的主线，无疑这必定会是一部烂片。因为我们无法真正的去捕捉这部剧或是这部电影要传达给观众是什么，或是他想通过这部片子反映一个什么道理。
与此同时导演以自身的传统美学功底，对电影的写实艺术特性也有精深的理解和把握，他特别擅以生动的细节描绘人物的内心活动，并调动电影的各种艺术元素为塑造人物服务。
作为一门艺术，不仅要有优秀的故事和表演，还需要具备出色的技术表现。摄影、音效、音乐和特效等方面的表现都能够提升电影的观赏价值。技术的精湛与细腻能够帮助电影更好地传达情感和故事，增强观众的观影体验。
