jillmillenniumgirllevin It's possible to be right -- and subtly to miss the point. The reviewers are right who complain that the love story sits uneasily with the sermon, and that the sermon itself is banal. But these complaints pale before the phenomenon that is Bill Nighy. Has anyone, anywhere ever given a more wrenching account of loneliness? Nighy underplays as usual: we learn more about his empty life from his subtlest and most fleeting expression than we would from pages of dialogue. That Gina means well -- but devastates Lawrence -- is her sad and, yes, selfish function in the film, which makes the title true and cuttingly ironic: as the girl in the cafe, Gina offers the hope of a connection she can't sustain. His reward? Loneliness piled upon loneliness. Ours? The chance to watch a brilliant actor give an indelible account of a disease endemic in the affluent West: disconnection and the death of hope.

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.

treeline1 Middle-aged Lawrence (Bill Nighy) is a withdrawn but highly-placed number cruncher in the UK government who lives a miserably isolated life. One day, he shares a café table with Gina (Kelly Macdonald), an equally-shy, twenty-something young woman and the two strike up an awkward conversation. One thing leads to another and she ends up accompanying Lawrence to the G8 conference in Iceland, where the world's leaders will probably, as usual, ignore the devastating problem of world poverty.Directed by David Yates, this is wonderful BBC movie is equal parts drama, romance, and a serious call to action regarding world hunger. Ever the numbers-man, Lawrence is full of horrifying statistics concerning the horrors of poverty, the most important being 'one person dies every three seconds.' Gina takes the problem to heart and causes quite a stir at the G8. Nighy and Macdonald give touching performances, reflecting the torment of loneliness and also the need to stand up for what is morally right.I highly recommend this very thoughtful film. As much as I enjoyed the acting, I was also moved by the message that one person can make a difference. A star-studded appeal for help in the fight against world poverty is included in the DVD extras.

John Raymond Peterson The storyline sort of implies this is a drama and romance with comedy. The humour is exactly the kind you expect and are please to hear and see, but it is not comical per say, just cleverly witty. The drama is not melodramatic, it's serious life subject the movie at some point introduces as part of a clever leitmotif. As for the romance is qualifies but barely, however it is enjoyable. I encourage all to read the full IMDb Storyline; it is spot on. Ratings are quite good and I will not affect that outcome up or down.Two actors that play the male and female lead, Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald are in splendid form and deliver the perfect performance for their respective characters. Kelly Macdonald could be reciting names from the phone book and I'd find ways to praise it, I so like to hear her speak. One thing about Nighy I need to get off my chest; as I've seen most of his last dozen or so performances and noticed a physical anomaly or very bad habit. His middle fingers, either hand, are always in a state of salute to put it mildly. It seems he is giving the world the proverbial finger in disguise. Perhaps he is not and it is in fact a physical anomaly of his. I do think someone ought to tell him that and he should correct it. It's distracting.