Customer Reviews

The Girl in the Cafe

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a beautiful film. Bill Nighy falls in love with the girl in the cafe. He has difficulty in communicating his feelings. He is a straite-laced, over-worked government employee and definitely ill at ease with the opposite sex and with people in general. Kelly McDonald is the girl in the cafe who gradually wins him over. He summons up the courage to ask her to accompany him to the G8 Summit meeting as his guest in Rejyavik. She embarasses him by challenging members of the G8 Summit in to doing something about the millions of people dying in the world each day from poverty and she is sent home as a consequence. I won't spoil the ending! You can feel the silences in this film and you can feel for both of these characters in their own way of dealing with life and each other. I will watch this love story over and over and never tire of it.

Middle-aged Lawrence (Bill Nighy) is a withdrawn but highly-placed number cruncher in the UK government who lives a miserably isolated life.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 cafe 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 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.

I had already seen this movie but wanted my own copy because I enjoyed the story so much. It's a simple story which, as the title implies, takes place in a cafe. It is simply a story about love growing to full bloom between two unlikely people.
The real charm is the simplicity of the movie which, bereft of the Hollywood treatment to which we are accustomed, focusses on the characters. Well worth double the price.

Bill Nighy's body language alone makes this film worth watching--his self-conscious twists and tics are mesmerizing and hilarious. A sweet film with some political punch about an unlikely pair matching up to take on world poverty. Good to see the G-7 portrayed from a British, rather than North American point of view--check out the two minutes of Canadian participation in these momentous meetings.

I never write reviews, I'm too lazy. But this beauty of a film took my breath away, for the richness of the subtleties in character development, the political understatements it explores so elegantly. This film is a lesson in why less is more. What a novel experience -- to have a story creep up and entwine slowly, like the hug of a python, holding you fast. Bill Nighy is brilliant, and it's easy to see why the part was written for him. And Kelly MacDonald is his perfect foil. Bravo, Mr. Yates, for getting out of their way and letting them do their magic. I'm not a teacher, but I wish I had a classroom to show this film to -- the conversations it would spark . . . ! Enjoy.

I loved this movie! A dedicated public servant whose life revolves around his work still hopes for something more meaningful on a personal level outside that sterile setting. The socially challenged older gentleman awkwardly engages in conversation a younger woman he meets in a coffee shop. She is receptive to his gentle advances, much to his delight. He invites her to accompany him on a business trip (G8 in Iceland) but soon learns that perhaps business and pleasure do not mix as the woman does not hesitate to share her views on poverty with world leaders attending the Summit. Will love conquer all?

The casting, script and acting are excellent.

There are English, French and Spanish subtitles for those who might be hard of hearing.

A thoroughly enjoyable movie .. Two topics happen at the same time . A love story & a condemnation of politics.