Late Night Shopping

I've seen some pretty unfair reviews of this film and I don't think they're justified at all. There seems to be a lot of fixation around the credibility of relationships and plots blah, blah but I found my brain negotiated it's way around that because the dialogue sort of sweeps you along. It was a bit of a guys movie, and if you liked Swingers then you'll love this and it has to be said there was much laughing in the cinema where I watched it, I was actually sitting in front an entire half row of blokes and they loved every second of it, definitely a good night out for the boys. If I had any real criticism of this film I'd say the female characters were a bit weak and any observations made about the female experience only bordered on insightful but then again that didn't bother me that much because I was fairly engaged with the rest of the film. It's got flaws, find me a film that hasn't but as I understand it this was the writer and the directors first feature and with that in mind I thought Late Night Shopping was an excellent debut for both of them and I look forward to seeing whatever they do next.

With a few exceptions, British films of the past few years seem to have forgotten about the audience. Here's a new Brit flick that doesn't try to be gritty, ultra-violent, clever or just a showcase for film-makers who are more concerned with a stylistic wish list, than actually caring about the punter that's given up his evening and a fair wedge of cash to watch their effort.

Smart, witty and often laugh-out-loud funny, here's a comedy that builds upon emotions that we can all relate to. It's set in the twilight world that only shift-workers ever see. Our characters not only inhabit it, but are striving to make friends and eke out some kind of love life in it too.

Problem is, how is a serial one-night stand merchant, a guy too scared to check if he still has a girlfriend, a bloke with 'porno reactions' and a girl who has long since lost any daytime friends, ever going to find success? These social 'misfits' become increasingly endearing as their separate attempts to carve out romance all intertwine into a hilarious finish that's an absolute delight.

Short, snappy and a film with characters that you soon yearn to watch again, this is a smart Brit comedy that's a must-see.

I never heard about the movie when I decided to watch it. Wanted to know if I was in for a nice surprise. And i really was. I won't say the movie is a must-see, but it's a nice comedy with some original jokes. It's also an interesting look on the world that normal people always miss because they're asleep.

The persons in the movie have a nice character and there will definitely be someone you can identify yourself with. Nice story, some good jokes, surprising plot. In short: 85 minutes of your life you absolutely could have spend worse.

I really enjoyed this film. It was much better than I was expecting from the box, which suggested both (i) another pointless Trainspotting knock-off and (ii) a laugh out loud pant-wetting comedy, of which this is neither (although there are some hilarious moments).

In fact this is a subtle comedy about a group of acquaintances becoming friends. The 'stupid coincidences' others have criticized here (the two girls knowing each other, Vince inadvertently pulling Sean's girlfriend) are indeed coincidences, but that is exactly the point. Because they ever only interact in the rather bleak nothingness of their nocturnal world, and superficially know so little about one another, they have no idea how interconnected their lives really are and how much they share.

A theme running through the film is the distinction between acquaintances, 'people you pass the time with', and friends. Which category do this group fall into? The unwitting and unrealised intersections between their lives initially indicate the former. However, their actions in helping Sean recover his girlfriend as the story goes suggest otherwise. Only Vince, the superficially shallow womaniser (and probably the best character), insists consistently that they *are* friends, that it is their actions towards one another that define their relationship, not the facts they can remember. By the film's (somewhat open) ending, the core group have moved firmly into the 'friends' category, not by learning that many more facts about each other, but by developing an understanding of each other's needs.

It's worth pointing out that this is all achieved without sentimental gushing at any point, something of a relief, and the films cynical tone rarely wavers. It's a credit to the young cast that they can express so much with barely a single heartfelt monologue.

There is also an underlying theme about the twenty-four hour society and the mundane, prospect-free jobs the group have. During the night, nothing changes - no-one really grows or develops, nothing is resolved, there is an air of helplessness at a bleak future doing the same pointless job for the rest of your life. (As Vince says, `And then what?'). It is only when they emerge into the daylight that anything can, and does, happen - things finally start to change.

In addition, the film is well directed and the production style is modern and distinctive without being intrusive. It's a relief to see a film with a young cast which has a bit of texture and depth, and which has not been designed around it's soundtrack.

All-in-all a very enjoyable watch, which is thought-provoking if you want it to be, and still very funny if you don't.

PS I feel obliged to answer at least some of the rather churlish and unfair criticisms which the film has received here:

1. `Why doesn't Sean just phone his girlfriend to see if she's still there?' Well, the other characters ask him this too, so it's not a plot hole. Instead it is establishing his character - he is incapable of facing up to the possibility she has gone, and paralysed by his fear of being alone. He's a bit neurotic, a bit paranoid, and he's stuck in his night-time world where nothing happens.

2. `How does Vince know where they are going?' BECAUSE LENNY TOLD HIM! This is established in the very next shot, when Jody realises the fact in the car and thumps Lenny. If you won't pay attention..

3. `Why are they all English when it's filmed in Glasgow? Why do the stop at a service station not on the route from Glasgow to Saltcoats?' Duh.. Just because it was filmed in Glasgow and Saltcoats, and therefore *looks* like Glasgow and Saltcoats, it is never confirmed to *be* these places. (In fact the seaside town was explicitly called something else). The city isn't supposed to be Glasgow, it's a fictitious AnyCity, UK. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE IT IS! It's not supposed to be anywhere *real*, because it's a story!

Most of the votes for this film are 7-10 yet most of the comments are lukewarm to hostile, which baffles me as I found it consistently enjoyable, intelligently scripted and very well acted. The only disappointment was that, although recognisably filmed in Glasgow, it appears to be set in some non-specific English city in which none-the-less all the minor characters have Scots accents. Despite this I gave it a 9.