The Girl in the Cafe

Bill Nighy (remember the washed up rocker in Love Actually?) is Lawrence. He's a civil servant, and really, work is it for him. He doesn't have much else in the way of a life. He's a little dorky, a lot awkward, and totally endearing. He meets Gina (Kelly MacDonald) [D, I'm sure you've seen Gosford Park, you'll recognize her from that] in a cafe one afternoon when he's basically skipped out of work for a few. After only a couple of dates, he asks her to go to the G-8 Summit with him. (He works for some Chancellor or other and so is going for work.)

This is not a big action film. Not a lot really happens, yet it's never boring. Once at the Summit, Gina's not so good at keeping her mouth shut. She keeps going off at the Chancellor and various other big wigs there at the Summit.

And yes, her point of view is the ideal: stop making your goal at these conferences to make even more money for your very rich countries. Suck it up, make less money, and save some dying people in this world. Stop patting yourselves on the back for saving a token number and do something real.

This of course puts Lawrence in a hard spot as he has to take a lot of grief from his bosses and coworkers. He agrees with her, but does he stand up with her or keep toeing the line for his boss?

The One campaign folks clearly had a hand in this film. Though I didn't see any white bracelets, the snapping thing was in there at one point.

I'm not really making it sound very good, I realize. But it is good! And you should see it!

It was nominated for things this year. Nighy and MacDonald were both nominated for Best Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television at the Golden Globes this year.

If it helps lure you in, the screenwriter for this film also wrote Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

I just learned that this is an HBO film. Those folks really do put on some good movies.

And as a side note, it took me forever to place Nighy. Eventually I placed him as the has been rocker from Love Actually, but I knew I also knew him from something else. I always have the same reaction when I watch Love Actually. Who is that guy?? He's in Underworld (the first one and the second one)! Which I own. And have seen multiple times. But he's just so incredibly DIFFERENT as the creepy brought back to "life" vamp, that it takes me forever to realize who he is (okay fine, I end up having to look it up).