SINGLES (director/writer: Cameron Crowe; cinematographer: Ueli Steiger ; editor: Richard Chew; cast: Bridget Fonda (Janet), Matt Dillon (Steve), Campbell Scott (Steve), Kyra Sedgwick (Linda), Sheila Kelley (Debbie), Jim True (David Bailey), Bill Pullman (Dr. Jamison); Runtime: 99; Warner Bros.; 1992)
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
The singles scene in Seattle, the reputed java capital of America and where the grunge rock scene is flourishing, is the setting for this youth oriented sitcom movie. The film's subject is the search for ideal love. It is the second feature of writer-director Cameron Crowe (Say Anything . . .), as it highlights six singles who are aged somewhere in their twenties, some living in the same apartment complex. It shows their bitter-sweet relationships at work and at play, with some having bad reactions to being single even though they are attractive and have good personalities. They all also have good jobs or plans to get the job they want, and have possibilties for some kind of relationship. Their singles situation is not that desperate.
This fluff film fails to be absorbing because it is so sugary and forgettable, but with that being said, it still had a few tender moments that seemed worth while.
The featured couple is Campbell Scott and Kyra Sedgwick. He works as a city planner, trying to promote his idea for a Seattle rapid-transit system to alleviate traffic congestion, while she works for an environmental group. These two nice yuppies seem a perfect match, but the timing of their meeting at a music concert comes at a time when Kyra was just hurt by a smooth-talking Spaniard university student and Campbell has had hard luck with his former girlfriends, and they are both reluctant to trust someone else. There was nothing special about their up and down relationship, as it was very predictable. When they get through playing games of showing each other that neither one wants to be the one getting dumped, they find that they really like each other.
Bridget Fonda and Matt Dillon are a more interesting pairing. She aspires to be an architect, but is working as a coffeehouse waitress. He is the long-haired singer with a punk rock band, who has an inflated opinion of his singing abilities, which is not shared by the music critics. He is hoping for a bigger break while he works in the coffee shop and as a flower deliverer, and his band performs in the local nightspots. They live in the same apartment complex, and their romance is one-sided, with Bridget falling head over heel over the self-absorbed rocker. He takes her love for granted, surrounded by groupies, taking on the image of a laid-back musician who can get any woman he wants by being cool and indifferent. When she can't understand why he is not taken with her, her neighbor Campbell tells her, it is probably because he likes busty women. She decides to enlarge her breasts, but the plastic surgeon (Bill Pullman) tells her that her breasts are fine, as he uses computer-generated graphics to give her a modest breast enlargement, but she argues for the x-large variety. He finally convinces her to get her boyfriend to like her the way she is. Their eventual rekindling of their relationship also moves along predictable lines, as she mentions she wants a man who will at least say 'God Bless' you, when she sneezes. By the film's conclusion, after Matt gets to know what it feels like chasing a girl who ignores him, he comes to his senses and says the magical words of 'God Bless' you, when she sneezes, so that they can get together again.
Sheila Kelley's stock character is sketchy and dull, of one who will do anything to get a man. In her most amusing scene, she decides to go to a dating service and make a videotape of how she wants to present herself. The videographer is "Batman" director Tim Burton. He will produce a video that is guaranteed to attract the kind of man she is not looking for, as she changes her hairstyle and wardrobe and winds up with a completely different look than the real person she is.
The grunge rock scene was fun to watch, the characters were more likable than not, there was a lot of tenderness shown for those who get hurt in relationships, and the film is emotionally as sweet as pie. The director is good at getting at light comedic moments, but has nothing much to say that is more serious. This is not an engaging film, and its whimsical story and cliché characters did not hold my interest. The film was just too mild in attitude and tame in spirit. It is really a youth oriented film, with trite sayings which sound terribly out of place, such as when one of the characters says, "Being alone, there is a certain dignity to it." The film could be best enjoyed for its soundtrack, which includes the music of Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam in the background.
REVIEWED ON 10/27/2000 GRADE: C
Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews"
http://www.sover.net/~ozus
ozus@sover.net
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