Late Night Shopping
Encyclopedia
Late Night Shopping is a comedy funded by FilmFour Productions. The film is about four young friends (Sean, Vincent, Jody and Lenny) who all work the graveyard shift
s in various soul-killing jobs (the hospital, a supermarket, a factory and a call centre, respectively) then meet up in a cafe after their shift to talk about nothing and generally kill time.
trick, and later confesses to the group he has asked her out and been turned down, but this is still seen as progress. Madeline insists that Sean has photobooth pictures taken with her; they disagree over who should keep the flat, the final picture in the photobooth is of them kissing. The final scene takes place in a tunnel, the radio is on in the car and playing 'These Dreams' by Heart, Gail reaches for the stereo and changes it to a station playing Sunday Shining, a noticeably more upbeat song, the radio acts as a metaphor for the mood of the group once again, this time much more optimistic than before.
—the anxieties of the four friends can all be matched up to those of the Scarecrow
, the Tin Woodman
and the Cowardly Lion
, plus Dorothy
, who is the leader of the group. Much the same way as in the Wizard of Oz, they have to travel to a far-seeming destination
(i.e. out of town, which seems like a long way for a townie) to overcome their anxieties. Jody also explicitly says, when out-of-town and in a cafeteria, that this all seems like the Wizard of Oz.
Graveyard shift
A graveyard shift means a shift of work running through the early hours of the morning, especially one from midnight until 8 am. See shift work.Graveyard shift may also refer to:In movies, television, and video games:...
s in various soul-killing jobs (the hospital, a supermarket, a factory and a call centre, respectively) then meet up in a cafe after their shift to talk about nothing and generally kill time.
Synopsis
Each of them has very little of a life, apart from their tedious jobs and meeting each other in the café. Sean hasn't met his girlfriend for three weeks and is beginning to wonder if she still lives in his apartment. Vincent is a womanizer who makes a rule of never seeing a girl more than three times. Lenny thinks of every woman he sees as a porn actress but can't even pluck up the courage to talk to a workmate that he wants to ask out for a date. Jody can't force herself to tell the other three that she was fired from her job, but still shows up after her "shift" every night to talk. Jody tries to convince Sean to go home early to see Madeline, but despite making it as far as the train station, Sean doesn't go home. Meanwhile Sean strikes up an unusual friendship with the girlfriend of a coma patient; she confides in him that at the time of the accident she was about to end their relationship. As Lenny confides in Vincent what he describes as 'porno reactions' Vincent spots an attractive young woman in the café, he talks to her and they return to her flat, while she is in the shower Lenny discovers she is Madeline, Sean's girlfriend. Meanwhile Sean and Lenny are in Lenny's car, they stop at a garage, Sean reveals his regret of letting what he describes as 'the fear' holding him back as a teenager and then as an adult. Madeline wakes up and realises what she did the night before and is full of regret. Sean and the coma victim's girlfriend have an encounter at the hospital. Sean confesses to Jody what has happened, the same night Vincent's colleague Joe has a heart attack after seeing the clock turn backwards, this proves to be fatal. Vincent goes to the hospital in the ambulance where Joe is taken, he crosses paths with Sean and in a moment of humanity he confesses to have slept with Madeline, Sean at first things this is Vincent's idea of a joke, then realises it isn't, this causes him to kick Vincent to the floor. He then returns to the flat he shares with Madeline to discover she has moved out. The telephone rings, the caller never speaks and then hangs up, Sean traces the call to find out where the call came from, and discovers its a small town where Madeline's friend has an aunt. Sean tells the group he is going, Lenny and Jody insist on going. On the journey Jody insists on turning the radio on in the car despite Lenny's protests, the radio proves to be a metaphor for the characters lives as the soundtrack is to none of their tastes, cannot be switched off or changed. Lenny spots Vincent at the side of the road, Sean crushes Vincent's favourite possession, a watch that belonged to Errol Flynn. Unable to find Madeline the group gather in a cafe and Jody confesses that she lost her job. Vincent and Lenny leave to play crazy golf, Madeline and Gail appear and discover that Lenny and Vincent know each other, much to their confusion. Jody makes a reference to the lion, tin man and scarecrow reference. Sean leaves the cafe and Jody makes plans for when she returns to the city, Madeline appears in the cafe crying, Jody works out that the crying girl she has never seen before is Madeline, the next scene Jody appears in she is alone in the café, when Sean appears she tells him Madeline is waiting for him at the pier. Jody goes into the café toilets and asks the crying girl if she is Madeline, meanwhile Lenny, Madeline, Vincent and Gail play crazy golf. Sean walks to the pier but there is no sign of Madeline, but she soon appears having been told by Jody that Sean being there is a sign of how much he cares. Madeline and Sean confess to each other what they did, Madeline tells the reasons that she slept with Vincent and that she thinks their relationship has been ruined. On the way back the group stops at a motorway service station, Lenny shows Gail a sleight of handSleight of hand
Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....
trick, and later confesses to the group he has asked her out and been turned down, but this is still seen as progress. Madeline insists that Sean has photobooth pictures taken with her; they disagree over who should keep the flat, the final picture in the photobooth is of them kissing. The final scene takes place in a tunnel, the radio is on in the car and playing 'These Dreams' by Heart, Gail reaches for the stereo and changes it to a station playing Sunday Shining, a noticeably more upbeat song, the radio acts as a metaphor for the mood of the group once again, this time much more optimistic than before.
Cast
- Luke de Woolfson ... Sean
- James LanceJames LanceJames Lance is a British actor who is best known for his appearances in a number of British comedy series. James Lance attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School...
... Vincent - Kate AshfieldKate AshfieldKate Ashfield is a British actress, best known for her award-winning roles as Jody in the Anglo-German film Late Night Shopping, as Sadie MacGregor in the British film This Little Life and as Liz in the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead.-Biography:Ashfield was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England...
... Jody - Enzo CilentiEnzo CilentiEnzo Cilenti is an English actor.He was born in Bradford to Italian parents. He is married to the actress Sienna Guillory, with whom he has appeared in several films.-Partial filmography:* Wonderland...
... Lenny - Heike MakatschHeike Makatsch- Early life :Makatsch was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, the daughter of former German national ice hockey team goaltender Rainer Makatsch. She spent several months in New Mexico in 1988 in an effort to improve her English, and later studied politics and sociology at the University of Düsseldorf for...
... Madeline Zozzocolovich - Shauna MacdonaldShauna MacdonaldShauna Macdonald is a Scottish television and film actress.-Biography:Shauna Macdonald was born in Malaysia and shortly after moved back to her family's native Edinburgh, Scotland, before moving to Glasgow to train at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.She and her husband, the actor Cal...
... Gail - Sienna GuillorySienna GuillorySienna Tiggy Guillory is an English actress, and former model. She is known for playing the title role in the TV miniseries, Helen of Troy, her portrayal of Jill Valentine in the science fiction action horror film Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and as elf princess Arya Dröttningu in fantasy-adventure...
... Susie - Laurie Ventry ... Joe
- Claire HarmanClaire HarmanClaire Harman is a British actress best known for her lead role in the Brookside DVD Unfinished Business. She has also had a starring role in the second series of Sky TV's Is Harry on the Boat....
... Wendy
The Wonderful Wizard of OZ References
The film makes implicit and explicit references to the book The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
—the anxieties of the four friends can all be matched up to those of the Scarecrow
Scarecrow (Oz)
The Scarecrow is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum and illustrator William Wallace Denslow. In his first appearance, the Scarecrow reveals that he lacks a brain and desires above all else to have one. In reality, he is only two days old and merely...
, the Tin Woodman
Tin Woodman
The Tin Woodman, sometimes referred to as the Tin Man or the Tin Woodsman , is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum...
and the Cowardly Lion
Cowardly Lion
The Cowardly Lion is the main character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is a Lion, but he talks and interacts with humans....
, plus Dorothy
Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
, who is the leader of the group. Much the same way as in the Wizard of Oz, they have to travel to a far-seeming destination
Emerald City
The Emerald City is the fictional capital city of the Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
(i.e. out of town, which seems like a long way for a townie) to overcome their anxieties. Jody also explicitly says, when out-of-town and in a cafeteria, that this all seems like the Wizard of Oz.
Locations
- Late Night Shopping was largely filmed in Glasgow, SaltcoatsSaltcoats- References :*McSherry, R. & M. . Old Saltcoats, Stenlake Publishing, Ochiltree. ISBN 1-872074-57-X.*Stansfield, G. . Ayrshire & Renfrewshire's Lost Railways, Stenlake Publishing, Catrine. ISBN 1-84033-077-5.-External links:***...
and ArdrossanArdrossanArdrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
. - The exterior of the cafe that serves as the meeting point for the four friends is actually the Variety Bar on Sauchiehall StreetSauchiehall StreetSauchiehall Street is one of the main shopping/business streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, it forms the main shopping area of Glasgow, containing the majority of Glasgow's high street and chain stores.Although commonly associated with the...
, Glasgow. The interior was a set constructed in a disused factory in PaisleyPaisleyPaisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
. - The cafe scene(s) in Littlehaven, were filmed in the Melboure Cafe, Hamilton Street, SaltcoatsSaltcoats- References :*McSherry, R. & M. . Old Saltcoats, Stenlake Publishing, Ochiltree. ISBN 1-872074-57-X.*Stansfield, G. . Ayrshire & Renfrewshire's Lost Railways, Stenlake Publishing, Catrine. ISBN 1-84033-077-5.-External links:***...
- The crazy golf course was built for the movie, on top of the existing course at the promenade in ArdrossanArdrossanArdrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
. - The tunnel at the end of the film is the Clyde Tunnel. It passes under the River ClydeRiver ClydeThe River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
, the major river running through Glasgow.