Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Desertman84 The Girl in the Café is a British TV movie that stars Bill Nighy as Lawrence, a mild and unprepossessing British civil servant and Kelly MacDonald as Gina,a young woman whom Lawrence has met in a café.It was written by Richard Curtis and directed by David Yates.The film tells the story of Lawrence, a civil servant working for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who falls in love with Gina, a young woman whom he meets by chance in a London café. Lawrence takes Gina to a G8 summit in Reykjavík, Iceland, where she confronts the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom over the issue of third world debt and poverty in Africa, much to Lawrence's embarrassment and the anger of his employers. However, he realizes that she is right and tries to help persuade the Chancellor and others at the summit to do something about the issues concerned.The burgeoning relationship between these two seemingly mismatched souls is obscured by egomania, xenophobia, and foot-dragging. Ultimately, the time comes when both Lawrence and Gina must make crucial decisions, with not only their own future but also the future of humankind in the balance.This is one fun and entertaining film about life, love and most amazingly how one person can make a difference in the world. Also,it has a lot of laughs and a great message about the present times.And most of all, Nighy and Macdonald have never been better than in their work here as they carry the film effectively.

TxMike I managed to find this one on DVD at my public library. It apparently is a "made-for-TV" production by HBO, but it plays much better than most TV movies.Bill Nighy is one of the great under-appreciated actors working today. He can play comedy or drama equally easily, and he inhabits a role so that we really believe he is that character with those mannerisms.Here he is simply Lawrence, working in London. He is a 'work-a-holic' of sorts, we see him reviewing some papers as he brushes his teeth, as he eats his lunch, almost always with some sort of report in his hands. We don't find this out immediately, but it turns out he is a key person working for the Chancellor of the Exchequer (I suppose the similar position in the USA would be Secretary of the Treasury, or something like that), in a very important, high-level role.Lawrence is shy and polite to a fault, and one day he dares to duck out of the office for a cup of tea, the café is crowded, the only place to sit is in a booth where a young lady is already sitting. He works up the courage to ask if he can sit there, and he does. Very awkwardly, bending over backwards to not invade her personal space.That young lady turns out to be Kelly Macdonald as Gina . She is not as shy as Lawrence, actually makes a bit of small talk, even jokes around a bit, and Lawrence loosens up. Barely. As he is about to leave the café, he turns back to her and even works up the courage to ask if she would have lunch with him, and she is glad to accept.It is worth mentioning that Nighy was born in 1949 and Macdonald in 1976. That puts her 27 years younger in real life, and that seems to be about the age spread of the characters they play. But there seems to be a 'chemistry' in the characters, total opposites, that allows them to build upon this initial happen-chance meeting.The big event coming up is the fictitious 2005 G8 conference in Iceland. I say 'fictitious' because the 2005 G8 conference was actually in Scotland. Lawrence was working on figures in support of the 'millenium goals' set in 2000 to sponsor a vigorous program to eradicate hunger and death in underdeveloped countries. As Gina travels with Lawrence to the conference, and a hotel oversight puts them into one hotel room with one bed, the romantic possibilities have opportunity to blossom. But it is all handled in a novel manner, true to the personalities of the two characters.But most of the 'fireworks' happen in social settings with the men of power from the UK and also all over the world. After Gina has learned from Lawrence what is at stake, she ends up lecturing the powerful men on priorities, at one point at the dinner table snapping her fingers every 3 seconds, to signify that on average, a child dies every 3 seconds from lack of food and care.Yes, the film has a propaganda message in it, but the characters of Lawrence and Gina are extremely well written, and the movie as a whole is one of the better ones I have seen in recent months.

jande9 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.

ron-oneto-1 Both Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald did a superb job playing their parts. The emotions they brought out were a credit to their outstanding abilities. I do wish that both would star in many more movies together, their interaction would get them an academy award every time. Words fail to describe their excellent portrayals of their characters: the reclusive, dedicated civil servant Lawence (Bill Nighy) and the beautiful, tender, mysterious Gina (Kelly Macdonald). Kelly Macdonald accent was so sexy and innocent that all she had to do was talk. What a love story.Think there are a lot of overpaid actors and actresses that could take some lessons from these two. Thank you Richard Curtis for the screen play and thank you David Yates for bring us this movie with such a marvelous cast.