The Girl in the Café

Screenwriter Richard Curtis is an expert at quirky but crowd-pleasing romantic comedies (his previous efforts include Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Love Actually). In this HBO original production, Curtis adds something to his signature theme of unlikely romance: serious geopolitical concerns. The catalyst is a chance meeting between an introverted analyst for the British Chancellor of the Exchequer and a strangely subdued but determined young woman at a coffee shop, just as the government is preparing for a G8 meeting regarding Third World poverty. When he impulsively invites her to accompany him to the Reykjavik summit, she proves to be a distinct embarrassment, publicly accusing the Chancellor and Prime Minister of caving in to pressure from other nations to compromise plans for programs aimed at alleviating suffering in underdeveloped nations. The romantic story has considerable charm, thanks to the sharply observed performances of Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald, but the larger political issues aren't handled as skillfully—the idea that a person who hasn't been thoroughly vetted would be allowed to join an official party is strained, and from a dramatic perspective the didacticism of the heroine's pronouncements tends to stop the story in its tracks. Still, the chemistry between the stars saves the film (a kind of activist Brief Encounter) from sinking beneath the message it aims to deliver. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include an audio commentary by Curtis and director David Yates, a few trivial deleted scenes, a so-called “making-of” featurette that's more like a brief network advertising blurb, and information on how to join an organization called One devoted to ending world poverty, hunger, and disease. Bottom line: a so-so extras package for a winning (overall) little film.] (F. Swietek)