Movie Notes: The Girl In The Cafe

June 27th, 2008

= 2 stars

Starring Bill Nighy, Kelly Macdonald, Ken Stott
Directed by David Yates

Synopsis

Lawrence (Bill Nighy), a bookish civil servant, randomly falls for Gina (Kelly Macdonald), and invites her to a G8 summit in Reykjavik Iceland. Made for BBC movie.

The Good

Nighy and Macdonald are able to make simple scenes work, where two characters discuss nothing in particular - only talented actors can pull this sort of thing off.
The innocent nature of their meeting leads to some awkward humor and possible danger, as Gina initially knows nothing about Lawrence’s important position, and Lawrence realizes he also knows very little about Kelly, much too late.

The Bad

The plot drifts from romance to politics as Kelly begins badgering the Chancellor about world poverty at the G8 summit. While the message is worthy, the manner in which it comes feels rather disingenuous.

Conclusion

Despite a smart beginning and some interesting performances, The Girl In The Cafe soon turns into a political one that felt rather like a trick. I became involved in the relationship between two enigmatic characters, but instead of resolution, was handed a message of world hunger. I can handle a movie about world hunger straight up, without a dramatic entry point - and when I think about the film that way, it’s oddly cruel and slightly hypocritical that The Girl In The Cafe begins with two people dining in a restaurant.

IMDB: The Girl In The Cafe
Wikipedia: The Girl In The Cafe
Rotten Tomatoes: The Girl In The Cafe