Grade: B+ | Genre: Romantic Comedy Summary: The Girl in the Cafe sheds important light on the G8 conference by supporting this heavy drama on a light love story that is clever, fresh and inventive. It is a rousing success on all levels and a pleasure to watch. Most writers find it complicated enough trying to assemble an original romantic feature, much less attempting to attack poverty during the same thought. Leave it to Richard Wright (Love Actually) to tackle this formidable task, and arise on the plus side of the equation. Saturday marked the premiere of the Girl in the Cafe on HBO, which features an unlikely budding romance over the backdrop of the G8 conference. While it may sound as sexy as two folks in a nursing home doing the horizontal, the writer strikes the perfect balance, not overly preaching to us on the horrors of extreme poverty while not weighing down the romantic elements with this seven headed hydra. Count me among the surprised that he pulled this delicate feat off.

The Girl in the Cafe debuted directly on cable, but don't let that plant any ideas in your head regarding the quality of this feature. Our writer was none other than the chap who brought us the British holiday romance Love Actually, and our leads Bill Nighy (Love Actually) and Kelly Macdonald (Trainspotting) have quite the pedigree themselves, even if they aren't marquee names yet. The Girl in the Cafe revolves around two lonely people who meet just through random chance. On getting his tea one afternoon, Lawrence sits down across from Gina simply because that was the only seat available at the Italian cafe. Although the conversation flows easier than it should amongst these strangers, it feels real and spontaneous. Lawrence goes against his wallflower instincts and asks Gina to lunch -- two weeks later. Lawrence is a busy man working with the Chancellor of England to eradicate extreme world poverty. As you can imagine, his schedule is a bit hectic and doesn't really include him.

The Girl in the Cafe Starring: Bill Kighly & Kelly Macdonald Director: David Yates Check Show Times. You may also like... Love Actually Four Weddings and a Funeral Hotel Rwanda Email this article to a friend Give to the Red Cross Katrina's Victims Need Your Help. Donate Today & Make a Difference. RedCross.org Doctors Without Borders Right now, our volunteers are providing medical care. Help today. www.DoctorsWithoutBorders.org Genocide in Darfur Darfur has been called "Rwanda in Slow Motion." Learn more and help. www.SaveDarfur.org

The bad guys in the equation happen to be the Americans. Given our foreign policy and our leader's historical stance on the issues at hand, I'd say the United States is a pretty valid fall guy in this battle. The U.S. delegates lay down the law, saying there can be a compromise made on aid, debt, or trade, but not all three. Gina's sudden activism says everything that Lawrence is feeling, yet can never utter. She's continually disruptive and a thorn in the side of the British efforts, yet they can't help but see in her the idealism they've squandered through years of being jaded by the bureaucratic process. Through the eyes of Lawrence's superiors, Gina is seen as a lightning rod, no better than the protestors that echo outside the hotel. Lawrence becomes savagely torn between the job that is his life, and the woman he is quickly falling for.

At first glance, it's hard to put Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald together. I mean he looks old enough to be her father for goodness sake. But once this ball starts rolling, we start to feel a comfort and a kinship between these two unlikely soul mates. We discover that the thing they share is their ideals and their desire to stand up for what is right. Lawrence sees embodied in her the fight he once had reflected in comments like "I'm not the man I dreamt I might be when I was young." Although the romantic angle takes a while to kick in, it is a healthy build-up allowing us to define these characters separately so we can rightfully place them together. The director also captures the ecstatic excitement of the new relationship quite well. Following the second date, Lawrence calls as soon as he walks through the door to ask her to make the trip with him. Lawrence, who usually looks like he has a rod crammed up his butt, is suddenly hopping around from one foot to the other like a giddy schoolboy.

This film works because it doesn't chastise us, pinning the fault of world's poverty on our collective heads. Instead, it shines light on the power that we all have to effect change and make these seemingly impossible goals of abolishing extreme poverty into a reality. It is no coincidence that this film debuts just weeks before the G8 summit that will draw our world leaders together to discuss these important matters. Will they make the right move and do what it takes to make sure the poorest among us get the food they need, or will this year be more of the same: compromise and empty promises? Only time will tell, but this film sheds important light on this event by supporting this heavy drama on a light love story that is clever, fresh and inventive. It is a rousing success on all levels and a pleasure to watch.

Check future showtimes for the Girl in the Cafe on HBO and signup at www.one.org today to make your voice heard in the battle to combat extreme poverty. Change can happen only if we allow it.