lexibear21 "Late Night Shopping" is done in the style of movies such as "Swingers," "Clerk's," and other sorts of generally chatty films, except these people have great British accents. However, there is most certainly a plot, and a charming one at that. The scenes in the film all connect somehow, bringing together the lives of the characters in a very fun, and smooth, way. The four main characters are friends who initially bonded over the fact that they all work graveyard shifts at thankless jobs. However, a deep friendship has blossomed between the four, which is even more evident by the end of the film. One of the characters, Sean, is trying to save his relationship with his girlfriend -- a storyline that ends up entangling the entire group. The film is funny, bright and delightful. I thoroughly enjoyed "Late Night Shopping," and I recommend it highly.

md82111 Marvellous. I ask you: where else can you hear the immortal phrase "I only f****d your girlfriend; that watch belonged to Errol Flynn!"? Great soundtrack, too. One of those movies that works well as wallpaper, if you know what I mean, to be delved into during lulls in the conversation.

craigjclark I believe I'm the first American to comment on this film, so here's an impression from someone who lives on the other side of the Atlantic.I just saw this film in the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, so it's starting to make the rounds of the festival circuit over here. It really deserves a general release because it is quite a well-made film, especially for a debut feature. All four leads were great and their dialogue was funny and clever. As a comedy, it is very observant. As a study of the desperation that can set in when you work in a meaningless job, it is spot on.In retrospect, I realize that some of the plot points could have been cleared up without all that much fuss (e.g. if Sean had called his girlfriend), but this is how real people act. Sometimes they do stupid things or play avoidance games. It's called life. And if other things seemed contrived (e.g. the fact that the two other girls turned out to be best friends), that's why there's this disclaimer at the end that states it is a work of fiction. Personally, I had no problem with going along for the ride, even with the bad '80s station on the radio.There are times when I find it hard to understand why people get so riled up about things that they dislike. This is one of those times.

DCT-2 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!