Preceded by short:Where's the Money, Ronnie? (Shane Meadows, U.K., 1997). A freewheeling, comically confused narrative of bungled criminality. (12 mins, Color, 16mm)A bittersweet, at times hilarious comedy set in a Midlands world of smalltime crooks, bickering couples, and particularly bad haircuts, Shane Meadows's (TwentyFour-Seven) debut film Small Time (made when he was 23) captures the hope, boredom, love, and stupidity of disconnected urban life in a manner suggesting a younger, tougher, and even funnier Mike Leigh. Neighbors Malc (Mat Hand) and Jumbo (Meadows himself) lead a gang of lackadaisical crooks whose concept of high crime is knocking over a Save the Whales donation booth disguised only with "regional accents." Their laddish world of pints, piss, and wife-avoiding becomes threatened, however, after a listless Malc suddenly joins his wife's new yuppie friends in discussing wines, tai chi, and other sophisticated topics. With a keen grasp of social tensions, a veteran's understanding of structure, and an addictive exuberance for its communal filmmaking aesthetic, Small Time uncovers grace in the perpetually graceless, even among those wearing disconcertingly lurid tracksuits.-Jason Sanders