8 Minutes Idle *** (2012, Ophelia Lovibond, Tom Hughes, Antonia Thomas, Paul Kaye, Jack Ashton, Luke Newberry) – Film Review

Director Mark Simon Hewis’s Britcom is a quirky, good-natured, high-spirited call-centre comedy that provides some nifty acting, lots of rude laughs and a great slacker flavour and taste of Bristol.

Tom Hughes stars as handsome young Dan, an easy-going idler, whose nasty mum kicks him out of the family home. So, instead of ending up on the streets, he secretly moves in to the call centre where he works. And his little kitty too. His co-workers help and hinder him, but mostly hinder him.

Hughes and Ophelia Lovibond as the sweet co-worker Teri both give charming performances. The cat’s damned cute too. Also in the cast are Antonia Thomas, Paul Kaye, Jack Ashton, and Luke Newberry.

Matt Thorne’s screenplay, with Nicholas Blincoe, is based on his award-winning novel. It is Hewis’s feature debut, after three shorts. It was premiered on 29 March 2012 at the Bristol Cinema de Lux (which can be seen in a long shot), and released in the UK on 15 January 2014. It is second of three low-budget films shot in Bristol under the iFeatures scheme, after In the Dark Half (2012) and before Flying Blind (2012).

© Derek Winnert 2014 derekwinnert.com

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