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IMDbPro

The Girl in the Café

  • TV Movie
  • 20052005
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
8.5K
YOUR RATING
Kelly Macdonald and Bill Nighy in The Girl in the Café (2005)
  • Drama
  • Romance
Lawrence, an aging, lonely civil servant falls for Gina, an enigmatic young woman. When he takes her to the G8 Summit in Reykjavik, however, their bond is tested by Lawrence's professional o... Read allLawrence, an aging, lonely civil servant falls for Gina, an enigmatic young woman. When he takes her to the G8 Summit in Reykjavik, however, their bond is tested by Lawrence's professional obligations.Lawrence, an aging, lonely civil servant falls for Gina, an enigmatic young woman. When he takes her to the G8 Summit in Reykjavik, however, their bond is tested by Lawrence's professional obligations.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
8.5K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • David Yates
  • Writer
    • Richard Curtis
  • Stars
    • Bill Nighy
    • Kelly Macdonald
    • Meneka Das
Top credits
  • Director
    • David Yates
  • Writer
    • Richard Curtis
  • Stars
    • Bill Nighy
    • Kelly Macdonald
    • Meneka Das
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 118User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 3 Primetime Emmys
      • 6 wins & 19 nominations total

    Photos

    Kelly Macdonald and Bill Nighy in The Girl in the Café (2005)
    Kelly Macdonald and Bill Nighy in The Girl in the Café (2005)
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    Top cast

    Edit
    Bill Nighy
    Bill Nighy
    • Lawrenceas Lawrence
    Kelly Macdonald
    Kelly Macdonald
    • Ginaas Gina
    Meneka Das
    Meneka Das
    • Sunitaas Sunita
    Anton Lesser
    Anton Lesser
    • Georgeas George
    Paul Ritter
    Paul Ritter
    • Robertas Robert
    Ken Stott
    Ken Stott
    • Chancelloras Chancellor
    Federico Zanni
    Federico Zanni
    • Italian Waiteras Italian Waiter
    Penny Downie
    Penny Downie
    • Ruthas Ruth
    Damon Younger
    Damon Younger
    • Hotel Receptionistas Hotel Receptionist
    Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir
    Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir
    • Assistant Receptionistas Assistant Receptionist
    Marit Velle Kile
    • Waitressas Waitress
    • (as Marit Kile)
    Philippe De Grossouvre
    • French Delegateas French Delegate
    Louisa Bojesen
    • CNBC Newscasteras CNBC Newscaster
    Christian Rubeck
    Christian Rubeck
    • German Senior Advisoras German Senior Advisor
    • (as Christian Pedersen)
    Toshie Ogura
    • Japanese Delegateas Japanese Delegate
    Martin McDougall
    Martin McDougall
    • American Senior Advisoras American Senior Advisor
    Corin Redgrave
    Corin Redgrave
    • Prime Ministeras Prime Minister
    Wolf Kahler
    Wolf Kahler
    • Herr Gerhardtas Herr Gerhardt
    • Director
      • David Yates
    • Writer
      • Richard Curtis
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Bill Nighy based his performance on Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love (2002). He wanted to give a comic performance without ever trying to be funny in-character.
    • Goofs
      G8 Summits are only held in the G8 nations - Canada, the US, Japan, Russia, Germany, Italy, France and Britain. A summit would not be meeting in Iceland.
    • Quotes

      Lawrence: Tell me... why were you in prison?

      Gina: I hurt a man.

      Lawrence: Why?

      Gina: Because he hurt a child, killed a child.

      Lawrence: Your child?

      Gina: Does it matter whose child?

    • Crazy credits
      During the credits, the sound of a finger snapping every 3 seconds is heard. Each snap represents a death in the world due to extreme poverty.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards 2006 (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      Cold Water
      (uncredited)

      Written and Performed by Damien Rice

      [heard at beginning and over end credits]

    User reviews118

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Make Poverty History
    A beautiful and moving film. I didn't know what it was about as the trailer didn't reveal much other than the relationship between Nighy and McDonald so I was thinking it was just a gentle love story, a British 'Lost in Translation'.

    But what transpired was so much more than that. I thought the way the enormous issue of global poverty and the few people who hold the political power to affect change was dealt with intelligently and sensitively and interwoven poignantly with the strange romance developing between the two leads.

    I'm not too familiar with the background of the film but I would hazard a guess that the seeds of the project were sown when Richard Curtis wrote 'Love Actually' which included a subplot where the British PM (Hugh Grant) publicly opposed policies brought forward by the American president (Billy Bob Thornton).

    Since 'Love Actually' was a light-hearted romantic comedy, the politics were never elaborated on but I'm sure that 'The Girl in the Cafe' was the opportunity for Curtis to put this topical issue into terms that anyone could understand and empathise with. The timing, of course, is impeccable, with the G8 summit to be held in Scotland within 2 weeks and widespread attention of the summit brought to the masses by Sir Bob Geldof and the simultaneous Live 8 series of concerts.

    It goes without saying that the performances of the two leads are spot-on, Bill Nighy is the king of understated pathos as Lawrence and Kelly McDonald is gracious as the mysterious but steely Gina.

    The film is shot in (literally) cool locations and makes a fantastic ad for the chilled aloofness that is Reykjavik.

    But at the heart of this love story are the nameless, faceless millions who suffer daily and the ease with which this fact is taken as statistic. Africa has never before been on the forefront of social issues as it is today and to anyone who might be under the impression that poverty is an issue for politicians to sort out around the conference table, 'The Girl in the Cafe' is a potent reminder that the power to affect change is more immediate than we might think. Superb.

    Make Poverty History
    helpful•55
    12
    • Julie_Julii
    • Jun 26, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 25, 2005 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • BBC (United Kingdom)
      • HBO (United States)
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Девушка из кафе
    • Filming locations
      • The Cumberland Hotel, Great Cumberland Place, Marylebone, London, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • BBC Wales
      • Tightrope Pictures
      • HBO Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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