Singles

1st watched 11/14/2004 - 7 out of 10(Dir-Cameron Crowe): Cute, funny and sincere attempt to chronicle a singles life in the 90's in Seattle. What I liked about this movie is that all the single people know that they need "someone", which is the constant struggle that goes on in their lives, but finding that "someone" isn't as easy as we think it would be. This movie does a good job of showing this. It is well-written, funny, played out well by the stars and has a nice soundtrack to fill in the voids.

It's about "people" and it has a style like a chronicled life where the characters every once in a while talk to the camera as if their lives are being documented. Excellent effort by Crowe and his crew to bring this segment of society into view for all of us.

Love. Sex. Friendship. Companionship. These are the themes obviously explored in Cameron Crowe's early movie Singles, which revolve around the love lives of singles (naturally) living in a common apartment. We follow each of the protagonist Steve (Campbell Scott), Janet (Bridget Fonda), Cliff (Matt Dillon) and Linda (Kyra Sedgwick) through their ups and downs in dealing with the weird little emotion called Love.

Well, not quite. As we know early in the film, each have problems and their own peculiar viewpoints on the dating scene. We see Linda meeting and breaking up with a Spanish student she was so into, after seeing through his lies and sweet talk. It hurts, and she doesn't want to be hurt again. Steve too have had a bad experience, and (I can identify with this) swears off relationships for the next few years, deciding instead to focus on career. As Fate would have had it, these two will meet at the unlikeliest places and get into a relationship.

Cliff, an aspiring rocker, seemed to have taken his girlfriend Janet, for granted. And I think this is something that most people can identify with. When efforts go unappreciated, or when things go mundane, the question is, do you want to bail out? And when you do, what next? Would you give the ex another chance? If you do, how would you approach it? It's fun watching a movie that was made 13 years ago, and you wonder about how the initiating and sustaining of a relationship back then happened without technology which we are so used to these days. Back then, a mobile phone was a cordless one, and there is no such thing as an instant message, but an answering machine. Where Speed Dating was unheard of, but Video Dating was the rage (check out the funny Tim Burton cameo).

You wonder too about the career of the leads. Campbell Scott was noticed by many after his pairing with Julia Roberts in the movie Dying Young, but after this, seemed to have vanished into obscurity. And so has Kyra Sedgwick. Only Matt Dillon and Bridget Fonda are still around, somewhere.

Oh, the music. Peppered throughout the movie is the wonderful musical tracks that always seem to punctuate a particular moment succinctly. I like Tarantino and Crowe movies because music plays an integral part of the entire experience, and Singles too had excellent ballads blended with grunge rock, say, Pearl Jam (before they made it huge), which also made an appearance.

It's a beautiful, quirky little movie with excellent identifiable dialogue, music, humour, and a younger cast of stars whom we know today, thrown into situations that everyone in love would have experienced.

Cameron Crowe is one of those directors that thrive on making the little moments in movies the most memorable ones you'll ever see in your life. In 'Almost Famous,' it was when everyone on the Stillwater tour bus was singing along to "Tiny Dancer." In 'Say Anything...' it was when Lloyd was driving around and proclaimed how his heart was exchanged for Diane's pen. Crowe also creates many memorable little moments in 'Singles,' which may not be the most famous movie he's made but it's one of the best.

Even though 'Singles' is about twenty-somethings in Seattle, everything rang true to me as I am now, a teenager. The film is honest and real in how couples become couples and how relationships can fall apart. 'Singles' isn't at all mean-spirited or depressing in its portrayal of relationships or the dating game, so it might turn some people off who want to see the extremely ugly confrontations (a la 'Closer'). But the moments in 'Singles' that make it worth watching are when Linda (Kyra Sedgewick) gets to know Steve (Campbell Scott) while going through his record collection in his apartment. Or when Janet (Bridget Fonda) sneezes and gets a "bless you" from someone she (and the audience) would least expect.

Everything about 'Singles' is great. The cast, the music and the truth behind the movie will bring a smile to your face.

What I liked most about Singles was that many of the characters you could identify with. Its not often in a film where you can look at characters and think - I know someone like that. Its actually very accurate in the way it depicts the attitudes of twenty somethings who have been through a series of less than successful relationships. There are some great, and very funny scenes in this film, and the actors all put in great performances. Setting it in Seattle- the home of the Grunge band was a fantastic idea as well.

In the 80s, three directors perfectly captured the comedy of young American growing pains. These directors are John Hughes ("Sixteen Candles", "Breakfast Club", "Ferris Buehler"), Savage Steve Holland ("Better Off Dead") and Cameron Crowe ("Say Anything"). All of these films are characterized by witty, tongue-in-cheek dialogue (satirical but not sarcastic) and surreal, music-video-like gags such as, I dunno, a pigburger patty grabbing a guitar and rocking out to Van Halen's "Everybody Wants Some".

When the 80s ended, apparently so did their unique and idiosyncratic brand of humour. John Hughes stopped directing in 91, and Savage Steve's last feature film was also in 91. Cameron Crowe evolved into a different style with his hugely successful 30-something comedy "Jerry Maguire". Here, folks, in 1992 I believe we have the last (and possibly best) of the great 80s growing-up films. If you've seen the others I mentioned, don't consider your life complete until you see "Singles".

Even with Crowe's 1989 "Say Anything", focusing on high school graduation, Crowe was the most mature of the bunch yet every bit as quirky and hilarious. "Singles" covers the next age, 23-to-27, establishing careers and facing grown up problems but still as wild and emotionally reckless as high school kids. I suppose some of us carry that same crazy recklessness late into life which is what makes this movie great for oddballs of all ages.

The movie is perfectly cast with Cambell Scott in the lead (think John Cusack but a sharper dresser), Kyra Sedgwick as a slightly flakey control freak (maybe an early version of Tina Fey in "30 Rock"), and a host of awesome supporting characters: Bridget Fonda as the slightly neurotic groupie who refuses to admit that she's a groupie, Sheila Kelley (remember the hot paralegal in LA Law?) who plays a goofy, insecure maneater, Eric Stoltz (Caprica, Pulp Fiction, The Prophecy) in the oddest role he's ever played: an obnoxious mime who won't shut up, and of course the show-stealer Matt Dillon as the not-so-bright artist/rockstar whose magnum opus is a song called "Touch Me, I'm Dick".

Speaking of rock music, cameo appearances, as well as performances, include... are you paying attention, folks...?

Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam

Chris Cornell and the gang from Soundgarden (watch for Chris in the scene where a car stereo installation goes horribly awry)

Thomas Doyle singer for TAD (he's the guy who delivers the hilarious punchline "You got the wrong number, lady, but I'll be right over")

Pat Nizzio singer for The Smithereens

Everyone from Alice in Chains

Jeremy Piven (Ari Gold in Entourage) as the funniest checkout clerk you've ever seen

Bill Pullman (the President of the USA in "Independence Day", here playing a nerdy breast implant surgeon)

Paul Giamatti in one of his first speaking roles ever (with the 1-word line: "What?!!")

Cameron Crowe's mother

and none other than director TIM BURTON as Bryan the next Martin Scorcese (pronounced "Score-seeez" haha)

And if that's not enough to make you want to rush out and rent this movie, don't forget the killer soundtrack with tunes by the aforementioned bands plus Jane's Addiction, Smashing Pumpkins, Paul Westerberg (The Replacements) and others I'm probably forgetting.

The story itself is fantastic, not only hilarious but probably the most insightful peek into romance disorder since "When Harry Met Sally". This comedy has it all. See it, see it again. Live it. And praise the gods of 80s comedy that we were given this final masterpiece of a bygone era.