A Brilliant Conflict

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

The storyline sort of implies this is a drama and romance with comedy. The humour is exactly the kind you expect and are please to hear and see, but it is not comical per say, just cleverly witty. The drama is not melodramatic, it's serious life subject the movie at some point introduces as part of a clever leitmotif. As for the romance is qualifies but barely, however it is enjoyable. I encourage all to read the full IMDb Storyline; it is spot on. Ratings are quite good and I will not affect that outcome up or down.Two actors that play the male and female lead, Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald are in splendid form and deliver the perfect performance for their respective characters. Kelly Macdonald could be reciting names from the phone book and I'd find ways to praise it, I so like to hear her speak. One thing about Nighy I need to get off my chest; as I've seen most of his last dozen or so performances and noticed a physical anomaly or very bad habit. His middle fingers, either hand, are always in a state of salute to put it mildly. It seems he is giving the world the proverbial finger in disguise. Perhaps he is not and it is in fact a physical anomaly of his. I do think someone ought to tell him that and he should correct it. It's distracting.

This little gem of a movie is a good example of the value of cable networks such as HBO in providing superior entertainment that would never, ever be produced by the huge studios. These films are not just television dramas. They are high-quality motion pictures in every sense of the word.There is a charming, albeit unbelievable, story behind this film. Bill Nighy plays a painfully shy financial adviser to a high-ranking British diplomat who is involved in the preparation for the latest G8 Summit to take place in Iceland. Nighy's character, Lawrence, shares a table with a somewhat enigmatic young woman, Gina, in a café. He is immediately fascinated by her appearance and overcomes his shyness by striking up a conversation. Gina is no conversationalist, but Lawrence continues to be enthralled.Going against what we can assume is his usual behavior with the opposite sex, Lawrence calls Gina and begins a continuing friendship. This leads to his invitation to accompany him to the summit.Gina is a "fish out of water" amongst the diplomats and their spouses. She is not socially inept, but she states her opinions - most of which are contrary to the political machinations of the participants at the summit. What could be worse in a group of diplomats as a person who actually speaks bare-faced truths? This, of course, leads to conflict for Lawrence - he agrees with Gina but is obligated to support his superiors.Scottish actor, Kelly Macdonald gives a beautifully restrained performance as Gina. Even at the end of the film, you are not sure you fully understand this young woman. This, of course, is an element of the script, but Macdonald makes you believe that it would take a long while to come to a full understanding of Gina and her background.Lawrence is highly intelligent and possesses a wry sense of humor, but it is almost painful to witness his insecurity. Bill Nighy is dead-on in his personification of this complex character. Nighy's body is tall and thin with bones that seem to be very loosely connected. He uses his physicality to advantage in his portrayal of Lawrence. Some of his best acting in the film is in the scenes in which we watch the movements of this man who is so insecure and shy. Nighy often has Lawrence move in an almost contorted fashion to emphasize his insecurity.The Girl in the Café is a quiet, entertaining pleasure and one that is surely worthy of an hour and a half or anyone's time.

This surprising made-for-TV dramedy, written by Richard Curtis ("Four Weddings and a Funeral") and directed by David Yates ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"), shows that the simplest ideas sometimes give us the best movies. Lawrence (Bill Nighy) is a lonely civil servant that invites a young woman he met in a café, Gina (Kelly Macdonald), to join him at the G8 Summit in Iceland. What he didn't expect is that the introspective Gina would speak up to his superiors about what she thinks they should decide/worry about.I've been a fan of Bill Nighy for a while now; he can be funny ("Love Actually"), hateful ("The Constant Gardener") and moving ("Notes on a Scandal"), but it was this movie that made me say to myself: what a tremendous actor. His subtle, multi-layered performance is the soul of the movie. Kelly Macdonald, that great character actress from "Trainspotting", "Gosford Park" and "No Country for Old Men", among others, also makes Gina a believable and adorable character (I disagree with what she says about Björk being the "coolest woman on the planet", but I agree with most of her ideas). "The Girl in the Café" won the Emmy for Outstanding Made-for-TV Movie, and both Nighy and Macdonald were nominated for Golden Globes for their performances.Don't avoid this thinking it's a TV-movie-of-the-week sort, because it's better than most flicks that hit the multiplexes. Otherwise, you'll miss a real gem. 8.5/10.

This movie is a gem. It starts off on a simple premise, a shy older man meeting equally shy young woman, and having them slowly and painfully develop a relationship. You learn a lot about the older man, but the young woman is a mystery, her character unrevealed, but half way through the movie she starts to assert herself, and her character then comes out and takes the movie on a completely unexpected direction.Lawrence is so shy and awkward he is almost a parody but Bill Nighy manages to present the character in an open and expressive way that is believable and interesting. So many of these types of characters are presented as repressed, which stifles the actor and makes the character less attractive but Lawrence honestly and openly shows his inner turmoil which makes the character very appealing.Gina is also shy, but as presented by Kelly Macdonald there is much more than that going on. She seems to be in pain, and her shyness is mixed with fear. Her vulnerability enhances her attractiveness, and Lawrence cannot stop thinking about her. We never quite find out why she is attracted to him, but the attraction between the two characters is strong and believable, and forms the core of this movie.As is usual in movies from the UK, the supporting roles are not just simple stereotypes but fully formed complex characters giving the actors who play them a lot to work with, and they all succeed in beautifully bringing all these characters to life.If you like your movies simple, well written, beautifully acted, you will enjoy this. I really enjoyed it. I hope the producer does a sequel because I would like to spend some more time with Gina and Lawrence.