The Girl in the Café (2005)

Lawrence Montague (Bill Nighy) is a lonely weary civil servant working for the Chancellor of the Exchequer. One day in an over-crowded café, he sits down in Gina Taunton (Kelly Macdonald)'s booth. They shyly hit it off. He brings her to the G8 summit in Reykjavík, Iceland. One of the issues is a fund to battle poverty especially in Africa. She begins to advocate for it to the horror of his coworkers. He decides to work to bring real change to the issue.Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald are two of my favorite actors. I'm even willing to overlook their age difference because the characters see the issue themselves. Their awkward exchanges are endearing. The political stuff is a bit clunky. It might be more compelling for the program to be smaller and more physically substantive in the movie like saving an orphanage. It's just so ethereal. I prefer less of that and more of their relationship.

Middle-aged Lawrence (Bill Nighy) is a withdrawn but highly-placed number cruncher in the UK government who lives a miserably isolated life. One day, he shares a café table with Gina (Kelly Macdonald), an equally-shy, twenty-something young woman and the two strike up an awkward conversation. One thing leads to another and she ends up accompanying Lawrence to the G8 conference in Iceland, where the world's leaders will probably, as usual, ignore the devastating problem of world poverty.Directed by David Yates, this is wonderful BBC movie is equal parts drama, romance, and a serious call to action regarding world hunger. Ever the numbers-man, Lawrence is full of horrifying statistics concerning the horrors of poverty, the most important being 'one person dies every three seconds.' Gina takes the problem to heart and causes quite a stir at the G8. Nighy and Macdonald give touching performances, reflecting the torment of loneliness and also the need to stand up for what is morally right.I highly recommend this very thoughtful film. As much as I enjoyed the acting, I was also moved by the message that one person can make a difference. A star-studded appeal for help in the fight against world poverty is included in the DVD extras.

One of the best films I have ever seen! A beautiful, sensitive and acutely observant expose of English attitudes and protocols. . It's actually secondary that the background subject matter of the plot is so vitally important in our modern world. . The interplay of nuance between the lead characters is a charmingly captivating carousel of attraction and inspiration. .Yes, I give it 10. 10 because it was a totally intelligent and enjoyable surprise.Well acted and beautifully produced. Enchantingly written by Richard Curtis like all good magic it will envelop you in it's reality.

I love watching Bill Nighy. He's got the emotional range most actors envy. Doubt this? Try watching SHAUN OF THE DEAD and then LOVE ACTUALLY and you'll see what I mean. He can be dry as a bone one minute (Shaun of the Dead) and funnily spirited the next (Love Actually).So when I learned that he'd been in an Emmy winning TV movie, I leapt at the chance to see it.THE GIRL IN THE CAFÉ is your basic character story with some fine acting ...if a bit stilted. The stilted feel really isn't that big of a surprise considering this was a made-for-TV flick. Although there was some nudity (which I'm sure was not shown on U.S. television and saved for DVD), the story does have that prime-time feel to it rather than big screen chops.The story is that of Lawrence (Bill Nighy) and Gina (Kelly Macdonald), two lonely souls who meet one day in a café. Lawrence works for the government as an analyst who's preparing for the G8 summit in Iceland. Gina is ...well ...we're not quite sure in the beginning what Gina does. But she's attractive and Lawrence and she chat briefly during the lunch hour. They arrange a second "date" and meet later that week. Lawrence confides much of his job to Gina, telling her about Britain's battle to lead the fight against third world poverty and AIDS, but also mixing his own sense of defeat into the conversation, knowing that much of what he's doing will be bartered down to almost nil come summit-time talks.Gina seems to take most of this in stride, hardly raising an eyebrow at the horrors of money over meals that Lawrence feeds her mind. That is until Lawrence invites her to accompany him to Iceland for the G8 talks.Time and again Gina opens her mouth during high-level dinners and lets spew her mind about the number of dead and dying in third world countries that Lawrence told her in confidence. Battling his job versus his growing attraction for Gina, Lawrence risks all by keeping her at his side.In the end we learn that Gina's past is directly connected with death and that she's not working because of her recent release from prison.Although Kelly Macdonald does an admirable job as the lost but vocal Gina, her lines seemed overly-rehearsed or set to a teleprompter, while Billy Nighy delivers his in an uncomfortable fashion befitting a man who has poor woman skills.The dangers of losing oneself in a thankless job are hit hard within the film's framework, while also showing the battle we forge when trying to form bonds with those of the opposite sex. All of this is done with the G8 Summit looming heavily in the political background, making for some strikingly nervous dialogue that you know will be coming from Gina as the film continues.In the end, this is a good made-for-TV film that Bill Nighy fans should check out.