Cashback (2006)

45% of critics liked it
(51 reviews)
78% of users liked it
(47,158 ratings)

A young insomniac attempts to cope with his sleepless nights by taking a job at a local supermarket, only to discover that he possesses a curious coping mechanism in the debut feature from Academy-Award nominated filmmaker Sean Ellis. Ben (Sean Biggerstaff) has recently been dumped by his… More A young insomniac attempts to cope with his sleepless nights by taking a job at a local supermarket, only to discover that he possesses a curious coping mechanism in the debut feature from Academy-Award nominated filmmaker Sean Ellis. Ben (Sean Biggerstaff) has recently been dumped by his girlfriend, and in his grief he has lost his ability to sleep through the night. When Ben takes a job at the supermarket and makes the acquaintance of an odd collection of individuals, including silly slackers Barry (Michael Dixon) and Matt (Michael Lambourne) and aspiring kung fu master Brian (Marc Pickering), he begins to find his imagination taking flight in a most unusual manner. It seems that Ben has the ability to literally stop time, a talent that allows him to take pause, traverse the supermarket aisles, and ponder both his own life and the existence of the customers who stand frozen and completely unaware of his presence. As much a dreamer as Ben may be, however, his willingness to maintain his connection to the tangible, if slightly antiseptic, world he currently inhabits soon finds the wistful dreamer forming a close connection with disarmingly straightforward checkout girl Emily (Emilia Fox), whose solid ties to reality serve to offer a healthy contrast to the fantasy-prone insomniac's surreal form of escapism. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 42 min.
Directed By: Sean Ellis
Written By: Sean Ellis
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy

In Theaters: Apr 20, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Jul 24, 2007
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
I think this filmmaker has a future.
Scott Brown, Entertainment Weekly
Cashback aspires to be equal parts Volkswagen ad and Nicholson Baker's The Fermata, yet compares unfavorably to both.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Cashback is light, smart, and enjoyable, and it makes me eager to see what Ellis has planned for his next outing.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
Imagine Kevin Smith with a background in poetry and painting instead of comic books and bestiality jokes, and you'll have an idea of what to expect from an exciting new filmmaker named Sean Ellis, whose terrific debut is called Cashback.
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
It's no small trick to blend fantasy, slapstick and genuine emotion, but [director] Ellis pulls it off with whimsy to spare.
Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Times
Beware films with protagonists depicted as vastly more sensitive than their fellow characters. The result may be a crock like Cashback.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
A little too mopey and sexist for its own good. But the cast is engaging enough to keep us interested
Brian Tallerico, Screentalk
A good writer starts with characters and plot and allows the themes to come naturally from the story. Sean Ellis' script for Cashback is all theme, and it's not that interesting a one to begin with.
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com
The first thing one will probably respond to, after the brief rampant nudity, is the exquisite cinematography by Angus Hudson.
Prairie Miller, WBAI Web Radio
Considering the entire uneventful and unpleasant proceedings, 'cash back' may have been the worst highly suggestive choice of title possible for the audience to contemplate.
Scott Tobias, AV Club
Ellis seems to believe that artists have an enlightened sense of beauty and greater access to it than common folk. And he may be right: He's clearly mastered the skill of convincing art-school chicks to take their clothes off.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The film lags badly in the middle; the flashbacks to Ben's childhood aren't especially interesting and the lengthy soccer sequence is sheer dead weight.
Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times
As observers we can project our own fantasies onto Ben's, and [director] Ellis enhances this dreamy effect with low-budget ingenuity, like cleverly executing location changes in the same unbroken shot.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

The short that the full length feature was based on is far more successful. It basically retains all the good bits without all the guff. It's more faithful to the original idea, it's cleaner and more pure - it actually makes the original look a bit shoddy on retrospect, full… More
The short that the full length feature was based on is far more successful. It basically retains all the good bits without all the guff. It's more faithful to the original idea, it's cleaner and more pure - it actually makes the original look a bit shoddy on retrospect, full of filler and somewhat diluted.
Lady D

Given the subject matter, the content of this short was very creative, a fantasist's eye who's outlook differs to others by his artistic talent. It seems this may have been called upon by partial experience perhaps.
Johnny D. H

I really wanted to like this movie. It seemed like a stunning, visual adventure. Having seen the short film of the same name that inspired this film, I was really looking forward to Cashback, the movie! In the short film, Ben (Beggerstaff) works an 8-hour weekday job and is so… More
I really wanted to like this movie. It seemed like a stunning, visual adventure. Having seen the short film of the same name that inspired this film, I was really looking forward to Cashback, the movie! In the short film, Ben (Beggerstaff) works an 8-hour weekday job and is so taken by the the artistic value in a grocery store that he can freeze time to really appreciate the beauty of it all. This was a glorious concept and filmed so wonderfully that I wanted more. But as they say "be careful what you wish for." This feature length film manages to be different which I should have expected, but I didn't want anything different. The entire short film actually makes up an entire scene in the movie. I mean, it's a shot for shot reshoot, I'm thinking it was just the orignal short spliced into this film. With this in the film we get a brand new 10 minutes before the short, and 70 or so minutes after it. What started off as a creative narative journey through the eyes of a breoken hearted art school student turns into a slow going nausea car ride with little development. Wha sucked the most was that the freezing of time gets more of an explanation in here. In the short. It seem slike something that's all in this guy's head, but in the fetaure length it's more like a super power. And apparently others can be caught in the freeze time zone, but that is quickly addressed as it is dropped. We learn that Ben can bring others into his frozen reality, but we never get the explanation of who the other person in his first encouter of a vistor in his frozen reality was. ...........more will come.............
Jim H

An artist breaks up with his girlfriend, and the resulting insomnia compels him to take a night job at an grocery store, where he discovers his power to freeze time. Cashback is a brilliant, beautiful film that is able to raise teenage-wasteland aimlessness,… More
An artist breaks up with his girlfriend, and the resulting insomnia compels him to take a night job at an grocery store, where he discovers his power to freeze time. Cashback is a brilliant, beautiful film that is able to raise teenage-wasteland aimlessness, adolescent sexual curiosity, and abject loneliness into moments of pure poetry. Normally I side Robert McKee on the use of voice-over, except when it is able to collaborate with the striking visuals, as Cashback's narration does. But Cashback isn't just an exploration and celebration of female beauty and sexuality. There are some wonderfully hilarious, laugh-out-loud (and I never laugh out loud) scenes. Jenkins, Ben's douche-bag boss, is the victim of some slapstick done well, and Ben's roommate is an uproariously witty horn dog. Unfortunately, the film does open a door that it never walks through when Ben discovers that he is not the only who can freeze time, but this is a minor flaw. Overall, Cashback is the good version of Risky Business, a film of visual and spoken poetry.
Dean !

A charming little British comedy, originally a short film that won a lot of awards. So they decided to just expand it a lil to a full length film. Starring Michelle Ryan in a small role, the cast is largely unknown. It also caused a stir when released as it featured a topless model… More
A charming little British comedy, originally a short film that won a lot of awards. So they decided to just expand it a lil to a full length film. Starring Michelle Ryan in a small role, the cast is largely unknown. It also caused a stir when released as it featured a topless model (Keeley Hazell) although very briefly. It does have a few nude scenes, but they are actually quite artfully done. It's a good story, with some nice ideas right from the opening break up scene. It uses a lot of different techniques film wise, the idea of freezing time is done well. It is quite funny, add a great soundtrack and I have to say I prefer this over 500 days of summer which was a bit similar in theme. Check it out.
Nicki M

Interesting little film. Had some funny parts to it and I liked the surrealness of it, though I can say as an insomniac, highly unrealistic to think someone would take on a second job at night and function in that, let alone all day on no sleep for weeks on end. But I digress...… More
Interesting little film. Had some funny parts to it and I liked the surrealness of it, though I can say as an insomniac, highly unrealistic to think someone would take on a second job at night and function in that, let alone all day on no sleep for weeks on end. But I digress... this is a character who can "stop" time, so I don't think realism was high on the list when they wrote this! It lost half a point for the boring and pointless sports match halfway through. I could not see where that even fit into the story, let alone want to watch it. Had some really good and quirky characters and a nice love story in the end.
Conner R

I really liked this for being such a light-hearted movie that doesn't attempt to be all that original, yet somehow it is. The cast was great and there were a lot of touching moments. I like that this is basically one person's view on the world and you really get to see… More
I really liked this for being such a light-hearted movie that doesn't attempt to be all that original, yet somehow it is. The cast was great and there were a lot of touching moments. I like that this is basically one person's view on the world and you really get to see inside his mind.
Rubia Carolina .

I really don´t understand how can someone see art and beauty in such a movie! Get "American Pie" or any other movie alike and add stupid soundtrack to give the character´s silly break up/insomnia/life an artistic and dramatic (??) view. Were that instrumental songs supposed… More
I really don´t understand how can someone see art and beauty in such a movie! Get "American Pie" or any other movie alike and add stupid soundtrack to give the character´s silly break up/insomnia/life an artistic and dramatic (??) view. Were that instrumental songs supposed to make us feel sorry or connected to the character´s "drama"? Honestly, it made me laugh. Later, I thought it could be really a joke to use the typical songs to specific moments/characters, but nope. Half star for the paitings/drawings at the exposition in the last minutes of the movie.
Leigh R

Odd but cute. Funny and intelligent in some places. I like it, I like it a lot.
Jason S

A decent flick. I liked the narration and the actors did a fine job. It's a simple movie about relationships with a little bit of the fantastic thrown in. I liked it.
Steve K

A lovely surprise of a film, taking a look at the passage of time, the healing one must do after a break-up, and the inherent beauty of the female form. There is graphic female nudity on display, but not in a Porky's kind of way. It's more about the art of the form. Fun,… More
A lovely surprise of a film, taking a look at the passage of time, the healing one must do after a break-up, and the inherent beauty of the female form. There is graphic female nudity on display, but not in a Porky's kind of way. It's more about the art of the form. Fun, warm, romantic and enjoyable.
Arash X

"Once upon a time, I wanted to know what love was. Love is there if you want it to be. You just have to see that it's wrapped in beauty and hidden away in between the seconds of your life. If you don't stop for a minute, you might miss it" EVERYTHING IS GREAT IN… More
"Once upon a time, I wanted to know what love was. Love is there if you want it to be. You just have to see that it's wrapped in beauty and hidden away in between the seconds of your life. If you don't stop for a minute, you might miss it" EVERYTHING IS GREAT IN THIS MOVIE EXCEPT THE LAST 15 MINUTES WHICH ISN'T BAD BUT COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH BETTER AND LESS CLICHE
Saskia D

It's easier to write a review on a movie you don't like than on a movie you do, but I'll give it a try anyway. Cashback really surprised me, it's actually a love story, but Sean Ellis (the writer and director) found a way around it (through the soundtrack and his… More
It's easier to write a review on a movie you don't like than on a movie you do, but I'll give it a try anyway. Cashback really surprised me, it's actually a love story, but Sean Ellis (the writer and director) found a way around it (through the soundtrack and his way of filming) without making you puke. After seeing Superbad this one was kind of a relief (don't get me wrong, that movie was very entertaining:) If you've seen both, you know what I mean (let's say Superbad targeted a more masculine audience :p) Did I mention that it was very funny as well? For fans of Eternal Sunshine, American Beauty and Ghost World, you're gonna love this!! <a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/cashback/iristan448/filma.jpg?o=52" target="_blank"><img src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/iristan448/filma.jpg"></a>
Craig S

Directed by: Sean Ellis. Starring: Sean Biggerstaff, Emilia Fox, Michelle Ryan, Shaun Evans. << "I read once about a woman whose secret fantasy was to have an affair with an artist. She… More
Directed by: Sean Ellis. Starring: Sean Biggerstaff, Emilia Fox, Michelle Ryan, Shaun Evans. << "I read once about a woman whose secret fantasy was to have an affair with an artist. She thought he would really see her. He would see every curve, every line, every indentation and love them because they were part of the beauty that made her unique." >> The story follows Ben, a young man who is rather artistic and imaginative. When he has a horrible breakup with his girlfriend, it really affects him, he starts to get insomnia, can't stop thinking about her and soon decides to take a night shift at a supermarket, to help fill in the extra time he has gained...but soon he imagination starts to get going and he starts to bring out the beauty in the things around him. This film just came as such a shock, because I seriously did not know what to expect. The cover appeals as a tad erotic and the synopsis makes it sound like the 'events' of the late shift that these characters do was to be some erotic tale of what to do to overcome boredom...I'm glad to have that surprise of more. Its really a film I could look up to in some aspects. An independent filmmaker who had the luck and the skill to have won many short film awards for what was originally a short film , he seemed to show such a solid dedication to getting it made into a feature and this little gem comes right out of nowhere, with full force behind it from everyone involved, it really inspires me as a filmmaker. Not everyone will enjoy this film, some may hate the central character, which isn't a good start for any film, some might find it too whimsy and pretentious and also think that what the main character does in his 'imaginative' times is cheap, but for others, like me, you will be gripped from the first frame and everything that follows is simply just beauty. The film starts as you would expect, they introduce the main character. The basics of him start to flow slowly but of course we still don't know who he truly is, but Sean Ellis behind the camera really grips you no matter what, for many reasons of course, but the main one I saw, in both his direction and screenplay...is assurance. The beautiful score is melding perfectly with the opening frames and some of the artistic and creative choices are really amazing and show a nice visual touch (such brilliantly staged unbroken shots that blended so well) and the cinematography is just outstanding...and from there the film kicks into gear. The characters are soon introduced when the main character starts his new job, we see more of who he really is and get a brief look at others, but to me, this is where it really got me. Take yourself away from the fantasy elements on the surface and wrap yourself around the undertones that beat nicely in the film, the characters are so full of life and are given such great dialogue, you really grip onto what and who they are and who they become throughout the film and we accept them because of such a nice touch put into them thanks to the team involved. What I especially gripped with the most was the central love story between the two main characters. Both with particularly different views...one has all the time in the world available to him and simply steps back, takes his time and admires the beauty in the people around, while the other can't help but see how little time she might have if she doesn't pursue her dreams, yet theres such a nice little connection underneath them both and thanks to some great chemistry between the leads, it works really well. The acting is pretty damn good. The sub-characters ain't the focus of the picture and are relatively simple, but the actors given to them do extremely well. Sean Biggerstaff is certainly stepping into bigger roles well and he has the right stance to attack them, good to see that I didn't think of his Harry Potter role...but the real surprise for me was Emilia Fox. Only seeing her in brief roles in other films, this performance really drew me in and added the perfect depth needed for this characters beauty, her eyes really do the work and of course she is beautiful as it is. Cashback really surprised me. An independent film with an assured vision from its director/writer, nicely balancing fantasy, comedy and a love story, with enough creativity (and amazing cinematography) to boot. Light, but thoughtful.
Jennifer X

I feel so insomniac just thinking about it. It's kind of magnificent, actually, with an artist's eye for details and a horde of beautiful women. A little 8 1/2, actually, except in a passive, glam-voyeur kind of way.
Megan S

Cutesy movie, I liked the whole stopping time thing. A few too many random naked girls for me.
Curtis L

Pretty dumb. What's the point?
Jose Z

This is definitely one of the most interesting movies I've seen in this year. The story about a guy who is dumped by his girlfriend, develops a huge insomnia and starts workingf in the night shift of a supermarket pretends to stop time and has a lot of adventures. A very… More
This is definitely one of the most interesting movies I've seen in this year. The story about a guy who is dumped by his girlfriend, develops a huge insomnia and starts workingf in the night shift of a supermarket pretends to stop time and has a lot of adventures. A very convincing and well developed plot, the twists on the movie are interesting. The soundtrack is great. Wondeful photography. The direction was awesome, Sean Ellis gives an excellent rythm to the movie wit a very good storyline that doesn't fall in boresome. The cast is good with excellent acting from almost everyone. In conclusion, A enjoyable, entertaining and funny drama, fully recommendable.
Luke B

Cashback is essentially a very good film. It's humour is spot on with a bunch of supporting characters who will be familiar to all. I loved the use of music as it worked as a supporting piece to the images on show. Another great tactic in this film was the transitions into… More
Cashback is essentially a very good film. It's humour is spot on with a bunch of supporting characters who will be familiar to all. I loved the use of music as it worked as a supporting piece to the images on show. Another great tactic in this film was the transitions into flashback scenes. Rather than just cutting or fading the camera would pan across to reveal the flashback within the same shot, a very clever technique that I enjoyed very much. So why only three stars? First of all a rather droopy, whiny lead character who I had no connection with removed me from the majority of the film. The biggest problem however can be summed up by one of the final lines. After viewing pictures on the wall a character says to our lead "This tells me so much more than you could ever say". I wish somebody had told Sean Ellis this at the beginning, as we are dragged through the film by a simply horrible voice over. It sounds like the ramblings of some depressed emo kid who needs a hug. Sub-par cliched "poetic" musings. I'd love to see a version without the voice-over and let the visuals speak for themselves.
Mike S

Refreshingly unique and liberal, with more than a few magical moments. If only that magic could have been consistent through all the scenes, then this could have been a modern British classic, but sadly there are some scenes that didn't really fit in to the rest and just felt a… More
Refreshingly unique and liberal, with more than a few magical moments. If only that magic could have been consistent through all the scenes, then this could have been a modern British classic, but sadly there are some scenes that didn't really fit in to the rest and just felt a bit lame or out of place. Luckily those instances are few though, and this movie is still a definite winner, providing the viewer a fun story, as well as a delightful feast full of visual candy, in more than one sense of the word :-)