FINAL THOUGHTS ON... - ...'All or Nothing' before moving to 'Roger Dodger'. Ultimately, Leigh's film is about dignity and love -- two feelings/qualities that can be felt, as the title suggests, completely or not at all. There is no halfway being in love, just as someone can't really be a little bit dignified; you either respect yourself or you don't. There are two effective sequences in particular where Leigh lays out his theme, the first occurring when we first see the Bassett family sit down to dinner. Phil, a cab driver, tells a story about an old man he gave a ride to that day who only needed to go a short ways, but insisted on paying the full fare anyway. Penny can't believe Phil would charge him, even though he says the man insisted. When Phil tries to explain why he was surprised at the man's request, but nevertheless understood, it takes Rachel to articulate the reason -- the man was trying to maintain his dignity. It's bad enough he's too old and weak to walk such a short distance; he's certainly not going to let a cab driver turn him into a charity case by only charging half the fare. After dinner, Phil gets a first-hand lesson in losing one's dignity when he has to go from person to person in his house to see if they can lone him some money to pay his cab rental the next day. The only person who helps without making Phil feel like a dog is Rachel. Phil is played by Timothy Spall, a frumpy, overweight actor who I recognized only as the road manager from the un-entertaining 'Rock Star'. His character is frustrating for much of the film because you know he has a lot to say, and sometimes tries to say it, but just can't seem to get it out. Sometimes you want to slap him and say, "Spit it out! What's on your mind?" But Phil's passivity ultimately pays off in the movie's penultimate scene, where he confronts Penny about their seemingly dead relationship. It's a methodical scene, made up of long takes that give the actors room to display the emotional ebb and flow. "You don't love me anymore," Phil finally exclaims, and the impact is heightened by the fact that you realize he has wanted to say these words throughout the whole movie and has only now found the courage. Without Penny there to nurture him -- to show all of her love -- Phil has nothing.

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