I really liked this movie. Perhaps for obvious reasons. Yes, it was the title that got me. I didn't even know what the film was about. It showed up on one of the suggestion pages of my Netflix. But, I didn't even read the brief synopsis. I like cafés, and I think it would be particularly romantic to be part of a story about a girl in a café. Especially if it was a foreign story, as this one was, being a foreign film.
It was Directed by David Yates, written by Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Mr. Bean, and Love Actually), and starring Bill Nighy and Kelly McDonald. Both actors were wonderful. Delightful, “tender and romantic.” There are some amazing, terribly awkward situations and quirky acting, which in my world makes for some great, realistic romantic comedy.
It is a romance and a comedy, but very political. The kind of political in which I am very much interested, even though it doesn't have a revolution. The context of the romance is around the G8 conference fictionally set in Reykjavik, Iceland, where eight of the most powerful world leaders summit to decide the working out of a commitment to put an end to extreme poverty, starvation, AIDS, and other things that cause innocent people to die. I believe that the producers of this film had some connection with the One campaign. That black and white commercial of famous actors, now politically involved, pleading with Americans to care about something besides themselves was included as an extra on the DVD.
It was a made for TV movie, distributed by HBO films. Tight Rope Productions (independent? I've never heard of them.) and the BBC produced it. Though, I'm not really sure, as the end credits were decidedly abbreviated almost in the tradition of classic films or, as was the case, television where nobody sees the credits anyway. Sad, because I would like to know who did several of the songs used in the movie. One of them was Staralfur by Sigur Rós, but the song after that... I think I've heard it before and I wish to hear it again. Perhaps it was a song by Damien Rice. I just watched the end of the film with the director's commentary on and they mentioned something about that.
Unfortunately for the reception of this film by those calling themselves critical, if you are opposed to the saving of lives in every part of the world, or you are at least opposed to any government's involvement in the literal saving of life, rather than that country's own personal economic interests, then you will think this film to be a trite piece of propaganda, conveniently placing it into the same category as (red)T-shirts, white arm bands with ONE stamped into them, and music by U2.
I definitely recommend seeing this movie. However, un caveat: it has not been rated, probably because it never was in theaters and so didn't need to be. It has brief partial? nudity, an implied, unseen act of immoral sex, and the “f” word, said quickly four times. (It is a British film, so perhaps it matters more that they say “bloody” in a few, much more prominent situations.) It probably would have received a PG-13 by the MPAA, though that fourth “f” would technically have pushed it into the R category. Other than that it feels like a solid PG film, or G, but children would find it boring and adults are averse to watching movies rated G.
The director said something profound about British films and personalities being The Spy and American films and personalities being The Cowboy. The Spy is hidden, subversive. Who he really is, hidden underneath the surface, provides the tension and conflict. The Cowboy is brash and upfront. He speaks and acts brashly, seemingly uncaring about the results of his actions on those around him. Something like that. While it was being said I thought it was profound, but I've forgotten now what that thought was or where it was going. Oh, well. You think about it.
And, while you're doing that, think about this, it was the title card of the end credits.
“Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great.
You can be that great generation.”
Nelson Mandela, 2005
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