The Girl in the Cafe

The Girl in the Café, the 2005 HBO film, was not at all conventional to its movie genre. What began as a May-December romantic comedy quickly evolved into a social change film with a much bigger message than age difference is allowed in romance. Through strong characterization, director David Yates, paints vivid pictures of Lawrence, a lonely civil servant who falls for a mysterious young woman in a London coffee shop near his office. The film tries to humanize a vast, complex problem, not through the African victims, but through pampered Western protagonists who lack the courage of their convictions. That approach is not consistent with the structure of the film. Nighy was perfect as the suit-donning Lawrence. His awesome conviction of character is what made the viewer okay with the unexpected turn from romance to the demand for social change. While this is unconventional for it’s genre, as IMDB.com dubs it romance, it is in no way a social chage film like Do the Right Thing, by Spike Lee, but still does not fail to inspire. Everything in the film, was well done save music and camera angles. The music was uncomfortable and too stereotypical. The loud rock was inappropriate while Lawrence was boarding the plane and the awkward country bluegrass was out of place at the Swedish hotel. Also during the conversation with the chancellor and Gina during cocktail hour at the G8 summit, the camera kept circling, similar to the pot-smoking circle made famous by that 70’s show. It was nauseating and it made the viewer dizzy. Besides that, the movie was sweet and enjoyable but if Bill Nighy that were not in the movie it would not be anything special.