Amazon.co.uk Review
Made on a shoestring budget but with huge dedication and imagination, Late Night Shopping is the kind of independent cinema that Britain has excelled at in recent years. Based upon the lives of four young people who frequent after hours Glasgow, this is far removed from the nihilistic Trainspotting school of film making, instead offering a warm, uplifting view of urban life. On the face of it, the characters simply meet up during their dead-end, night shift jobs, to ease the boredom. Gradually, however, a bond develops that goes deeper than any of them might have suspected.
Given that most of the film takes place at night, the mood is intimate and sparse, before the characters make a literal and metaphorical journey into the light. The interplay between the four (Lance, Ashfield, Clienti and Von Wolfson) is superb and it is their relationship that carries Late Night Shopping to its heart-warming conclusion. Along the way there is some lovely humour, as well as moments of real drama. Quirky enough without ever heading down some cultist cul-de-sac, this is a must for fans of well-crafted bold cinema.
On the DVD: Late Night Shopping's disc has some real thought gone into it. There is an excellent documentary feature on the making of the movie, although the interview and on location segments do seem to simply repeat the material in less engaging form. Best of all is the commentary from director Saul Metzstein and writer Jack Lothan, who take us on a tour of the perils of making a film for comparatively little money. Their dialogue is both witty and informative and cannot disguise the pride they have in their finished product, as well they might. --Phil Udell
Customer Reviews:
Good, low-budget British comedy.......2006-04-17
This film centres on four characters, all of whom work night shifts, and always hang out together at the same 24-hour café. Each of the four characters have their own stories and issues which are brought to some kind of resolution by the end of the film, but the central thrust of the story is the problem Sean has with his girlfriend. His problem is that his works night shifts, whereas his girlfriend works day shifts - and they haven't seen each other for three weeks. The last time they saw each other, they had a huge argument, and Sean is no longer sure whether she still lives with him. He has resorted to examining the soap every day to see if it's getting smaller. This is a relatively low-budget British comedy and it works well. The main performances are all solid and its exploration of the relationships between the characters is convincing and engaging. There is also a subtle exploration of the aimlessness and meaninglessness of modern urban life, which gives what would otherwise be a pretty light film just that bit more weight and depth.
Fantastic.......2005-11-15
Loved it; just the sort of movie I like. Instead of focussing on some worn-out storyline, the film concentrates instead on developing the characters and perceptions; not so much that it becomes dull, but just enough to give you a touch inside a deeper part of their lives.
There is only one comparison aside from location that Late Night Shopping has with Trainspotting. That is the fact that the people in the film know that their lives are crap; missing something... and they aspire to something greater. It's not something they copied from Trainspotting... it's a Scottish way of seeing the world.
Brilliant.
What reality TV should be like........2003-12-31
No action scenes (save one quick punch between mates), no steamy sex scenes, no hero, no villian, in fact very little point at all. But then that's real life.
This movie is about real life, four people who work nights just happen to be regulars at a late night coffee bar after work. They meet, chat and become acquaintences. Their time together is spent talking uter rubbish, cruising pointlessly in a car, injesting caffeine and shooting pool. It could be a scene straight from any coffee bar, pool hall, local diner or bar.
Together they exchange conversation, sometimes about the deepest emotions, sometimes about nothing much at all, but inevitably they become drawn into friendship, even before they realise this themselves.
The story isn't really important in a movie like this, it's about personalities and the idea of friendship. Anyone who has made seemingly random friends in school, university or just a local bar will be able to identify with this and propbably with all of the charachters as well.
Anyone who enjoyed the splendid Human Traffic will also enjoy this as (while not quite as good) the central ideas are the same and neither revert to the schmaltz of The Breakfast Club.
This is not a movie for "the night in with the boys/girls" but is a nice movie to watch late in the day, especially if (like me) you no longer see as much of your random mates as you would like (as happens when you grow up).
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the 90 minutes of my life that this film took up and it has perhaps prompted me to get in touch with some people a bit more often. A good solid 4/5 movie for me.
An unnoticed success........2003-09-22
As is so typical of British cinema these days, on the rare occasions we come up with a decent film, someone forgets to promote the damn thing. So after a theatrical release that no one knew about, followed by a similarly undetectable Dvd release, "Late Night Shopping" has slipped by unnoticed, gathering only a small fan base when it deserved so much more.
Bizarrely this film drew comparisons with "Trainspotting" on it's initial release, but has little in common with Danny Boyle's drug fuelled masterpiece, other than being set in Scotland. This perhaps, coupled with the fact that there are no major stars in the film may have contributed to the lacklustre performance on the cinema screens.
Four friends, who all have meaningless, mundane jobs on the night shift, meet every night at a late night cafe to discuss life, love and general woes. A well observed comedy that keeps the laughs coming for the full duration of the picture, it is very well written and the cast members all give solid performances. "Late Night Shopping" presents a slice of life that deals with themes that most people can relate to.
So if you want a film that gives you a nice break from all the Hollywood glitz, glamour and explosions, try this, you won't be dissapointed.
Simple brilliance.......2002-09-17
In a time when film companies are content in pouring out below par offerings with terrible scripts and evermore incredulous plots, Late Night Shopping arrives and a sigh can be heard from all who watch it. A sigh of relief. Finally a film that is as endearing as it is real. Forgive it its little plot flaw and you will truly enjoy this film. Even the at times questionable acting can't do anything to marr the magic. In fact it lent the film a certain 'reality'. I watched this film and was entranced from start to finish. Even the soundtrack was great. And to top it all off you have Brian Tufano (of Quadrophenia and Trainspotting fame) producing some wonderful imagery with the camera. Truly simple and truly brilliant! Hollywood...look and learn!
UK DVD:
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UK DVD List
UK DVD
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