The Waiting Room review

Ah, the inherent romance of train travel! Lingering goodbyes, stolen kisses through carriage windows and all that atmospheric steam. But can the piss-stained platforms of London’s modern overground be just as evocative? Director Roger Goldby is determined to prove that’s the case in this Richard Curtis-lite romance. Anne-Marie Duff heads a likeable cast as Anna, a single mum who’s having it away with her best friend’s husband, George (Rupert Graves). That’s until she meets retirement home worker Stephen (a less-irritating-than-you’d-expect Ralf Little) in a train station waiting room and everything changes. The characters are involving enough, but Goldby’s ambition doesn’t soar much beyond his TV background. So, instead of an exciting big-screen debut, this feels like a Cold Feet episode, written by a fan of Brief Encounter. Duff deserves a bigger challenge.