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A Masterpiece!

A Major Disappointment

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

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 JamChris Cornell and the gang from SoundgardenThomas Doyle singer for TAD ("You got the wrong number, lady, but I'll be right over")Pat Nizzio singer for The SmithereensEveryone from Alice in ChainsJeremy Piven (Ari Gold in Entourage) as the funniest checkout clerk you've ever seenBill Pullman as a nerdy breast implant surgeonPaul Giamatti in one of his first speaking roles ever ("What?!!")Cameron Crowe's motherand 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.

I always considered Cameron Crowe's SINGLES as something I really had to see. My one and only connection to it: the grunge. As a huge grunge fan (especially of Pearl Jam) I've had since years ago a sort of pending meeting with Crowe's second feature. Today I finally sat down I watched it on DVD. I have to say, if you want something more related to music, something like, I'm pretty much guessing as I have seen only parts of it (the "Tiny Dancer" part for sure), Crowe's ALMOST FAMOUS, or something that really puts you in the "grunge scene", you'll disappointed. To be fair, it made think in that music-related talk with Quentin Tarantino from the Collector's Edition of the PULP FICTION Soundtrack. And that is because Tarantino says this: "what I don't wanna do is, and I've see it happen in a lot of movies, where they just turn up the soundtrack to create a false energy, or in particularly to create a sense of period. They're not investing in the picture. OK, it's the sixties, we play a lot of sixties songs and that will create the period. To me that's cheap, like listening to the radio and watching a movie at the same time. They don't really go together". In this case, I wouldn't go as far as to call the use of some Pearl Jam songs, and the scenes of Alice In Chains and Soundgarden playing at some bar, cheap, but they definitely don't create something special, something that, like I said, really put us in early 90s Seattle. For instance, it's only people dancing in a club to a Pearl Jam song (always great to hear Pearl Jam though). And yes, maybe that's just early 90s Seattle, and yes I'm caring too much about the setting of the story but to be more fair, I wouldn't have seen a "romantic comedy" by Cameron Crowe if not for the grunge thing. I mean, something like Crowe's SAY ANYTHING… is not the kind of movie I'm always looking forward to check out. So, the level of disappointment that SINGLES gives to you may certainly vary. I mean, you can enter here not knowing anything about the grunge setting, or you can enter here seeking for a movie about early 90s Seattle musicians (maybe thanks to the image of Matt Dillon with the "grunge look" and his guitar). In my case, and like I said, it did disappointed me in the setting thing but in the end I really can't say this is something anybody should runaway from, that anybody should avoid at all costs. It's a pretty darn normal "relationships movie", simply as that. It almost never feels false in that regard, which is certainly the best thing. My main point here is that pretty much this whole story doesn't go hand-to-hand with the period it is setting in. Sure, Matt Dillon's character Cliff has a grunge band (you just gotta like a whole lot this character! "Now, a song like "Touch Me, I'm Dick" is about... what?"; Cliff: "Well, I think "Touch Me, I'm Dick," in essence speaks for itself. I think that, you know, that's basically what the song is, um... about... is about, you know... I think a lot of people might think it's actually about, you know, "My name is Dick, and, you know, you can touch me," but, I think, you know, it can be seen either way") and the other main characters (played by Campbell Scott, Kyra Sedgwick, Bridget Fonda, Sheila Kelley and Jim True-Frost –nice to see "Prez" from "The Wire"–; the acting is fine) go out to bars to listen to Alice in Chains (there's a scene with main character Steve, and Sedgwick's character Linda, and his record collection, Hendrix, the Clash, you know), to dance to "State of Love and Trust", but are they really Generation X characters? Well, the main couple in the movie, Steve and Linda, ain't. Like I said, it is an ordinary relationships movie, that is entertaining and that probably you can enjoy more than me. If I will remember SINGLES for something is definitely for its great cameos: Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament (is just fun with these guys! They play the band mates of Cliff's band. Eddie is the drummer of the band, by the way), Chris Cornell (totally great, hilarious! Sort of reminded me Jay and Silent Bob from CLERKS an other Kevin Smith movies I have yet to see) and Tim Burton (as a video maker who "is only like the next Martin Scorsese"!). So, memorable details in an entertaining if totally ordinary love story… that would be my summary of SINGLES. Oh, and the soundtrack is certainly great, but some of the background music during the film is not (think of the opening theme of "Friends" and you'll get the idea. When I thought this I didn't know that this movie became sort of the basis for "Friends", if wikipedia doesn't lie: "Warner Bros Television tried immediately to turn Singles into a television series. When Crowe balked at the notion, the company proceeded with the idea, engaged a new writing and directing team, changing elements and the name to Friends").

These are the same humorous stories of neurotic, wounded, gullible, vain, and humiliated people we see and hear fourteen(!) years after this movie came out, but this is an original that's still witty and fresh. Cameron Crowe's thoughtful exploration of single life has universal appeal.Having said that, this movie is also an unabashed love letter to Seattle as well as a portrait in miniature of one the city's heydays: the height of grunge-rock scene.The previously overlooked Seattle suddenly outshone NYC, LA, and SF (if only for a few years) as the coolest city in America, thanks to the mass appeal of local bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains (who have a performance in the film) and Pearl Jam (who are acting in this film).The city itself becomes a character in the film and even it's famously damp weather couldn't keep it from being seen, through Cameron's eyes, as a terribly romantic and lively place to live in.(Luckily for Seattle it's still seen as a sophisticated metropolis, long after grunge, "Singles", "Frasier", Starbucks, and the novelty surrounding them all faded away.)There's no need for future generations to do any retrospective films about early nineties Seattle; "Singles" is all we need.

I was twenty something all through the 90's and this was definitely a reflection of my life at the time. I am actually wondering if there is a clip from the scene in the movie when Debbie was watching her results from the online dating service her friends had signed her up for - The guy that stares into the camera and says "I'm very very VERY lonely" That is the funniest thing and I love that line!! Anyway.... The rest of the movie is great I love Pearl Jam - Matt Dillon was awesome but his hair was a nightmare - all my friends had long hair and that was NOT what it looked like. When Debbie and Pam fight - and Pam trades Debbie's date for like doing dishes or something... hilarious