Director: Sean Ellis
Starring: Sean Biggerstaff, Emilia Fox, Shaun Evans, Michelle Ryan, Michael Dixon, Michael Lambourne

- Reviewed by Jennifer

A word of warning: if you're sitting at work and lots of people are milling around in full view of your computer screen, don't check out Cashback's official movie site. One minute you'll be comfortably waiting to learn more about the movie, and the next you'll be scrambling to close the web page, holding your hands up over the screen, and wondering which of your coworkers saw the topless girl that beckons from the site's main page. You'll have to stifle the urge to stand up and announce that it was just a movie site, and no, not that kind of movie site, "Everything's fine! I'm not looking at porn on work time!" Trust me, you'd be far better off to stay right here and let me tell you about this strangely lovely little movie.

Simon Biggerstaff of Harry Potter fame stars as Ben, a twenty-something young man who finds himself heartbroken and adrift after his beautiful girlfriend breaks up with him. He develops a severe case of insomnia, and suddenly has eight extra hours to fill each night. He tries reading, he tries television, and finally he decides to take charge and be productive. Why not take a night job at the 24 hour market and make a little extra cash?

Life as a grocery clerk leaves a lot to be desired, but it gets Ben out of the house. Entertainingly, his boss is a clueless oaf and his coworkers have even less on the ball. Ben's two saving graces are his new ability to stop time and Sharon, the subtly radiant check-out girl who proves to be his kindred spirit.

At this point, you're probably going, "did she just say 'stop time?'" Yes dear Reader, I did. When I read the movie's synopsis, I expected far more emphasis on the time-stopping and somewhat of a sci-fi angle to the story. It's actually a relatively minor plot point used to illustrate Ben's keen attention to life's details. At first he uses his new skill to look at the female customers naked. They are all suspiciously hot to be out shopping in the middle of the night, but his interest in the female form is purely artistic and his narration is so reverent that he never comes off as a pervert. Even better, he never once undresses Sharon, the one girl he is truly interested in.

The movie progresses with amusing asides (flashbacks to Ben's childhood and his first encounters with the opposite sex, an ill-fated company soccer game, and a disastrous birthday bash for the boss) and slowly builds to the perfect conclusion. Increasingly, Ben uses his ability to stop time to examine the little turning points in his life, and in doing so, recognizes their importance and their beauty. It is his thoughtful and insightful nature that allows Ben to rise above the rest and find both love and success as an artist.

The film's message is simple and strikingly similar to what Ferris Bueller was trying to tell us: life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around, you might just miss it. It's worth slowing down for 102 minutes to take in this surreal blend of British humor, romance, and the little dramas that make up life's big picture.

Extra features include the Academy Award Nominated short film version of Cashback an a featurette on the making of Cashback.

Official Movie Site

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