Is a romantic comedy following the lives of a group of singles who live in a low-rise apartment complex, played out against the backdrop of the Seattle grunge scene of the early 90's. Warning, this blog will include spoilers.
I'd mentioned previously how I didn't like this movie much the first couple times I saw it, but it grew on me to the point that I bought my own copy of the movie. So the obvious question is why? I think the most obvious reasons are because I like smart ensemble cast rom-coms, coupled with the fact that it's directed by Cameron Crowe (whose work I will always test drive), and the 90's nostalgia. So many movies made in the 90's don't encapsulate what the decade was about for me (without giving away too much about my age, for better or worse, all my teenage years were played out in that decade.) and while the characters in Singles are clearly much older than I am, I find I can still relate, especially as I got older.
Even after seeing it 4 times, I think the characters themselves still have a lot of shortcomings. Though I also see that's kind of the point. Kyra Sedgewick's character Linda drives me up the wall. She claims she doesn't want drama, but then she gets over-analytical about everything, never seems to shut up (maybe I'm way off here, but show of hands: who looks at their partner right at the climax of having sex and asks "What are you thinking?" Dear lord...), and when Steve shows up to her office in attempts to be sincere she totally plays games. Really, who in their right minds could want a bitch who says she don't play games, but then plays games??
Bridget Fonda as lovestruck Janet is almost as bad (the character not the actress), she's completely delusional and is easily influenced by whoever is around her. Nevermind that she lets this jerky musician walk all over her, but then 2 mins in the doctor's office with Bill Pullman and boom, her mind is changed. She does have one of my favourite lines in the movie, where she narrates that "I've always been able to do this, break up with someone and never look back. Being alone: there's a certain dignity to it." I would say I couldn't agree with her more, if I didn't know she was the type of person who will change her tune 15 mins later.
Steve's finest moment in the entire movie was when he was trying to explain how his ex was now dating a guy who was cheating on her, and Steve knew this because the other woman is someone he used to date. See, there's truth to that scenario, whereas everything else about him is your typical fantasy romantic comedy male -- guys like that do not exist. Ladies, if you still believe someone like him is out there, you will find that when you finally do meet this guy, he will be over-sensitive, needlessly wordy, emotionally intimidating, and overall a nightmare to date. No, shockingly the most genuine character in this movie is...
Matt Dillon's portrayal of Cliff. The hot, sometimes idiotic, grunge rocker who makes no pretenses about dating exclusively, has his priorities straight in such a way that suits his lifestyle and interests, and carries it all with confidence (which can also be construed as selfish and egotistical, but if those are his biggest shortcomings then he's already way ahead of the others). Not to mention he's got some of the coolest band mates haha.
Much as I want to criticize these people for more than just their fashion choices, I must begrudgingly admit... I've been guilty of behaving similarly at points in my life. I was rolling my eyes last night, thinking how can they all be so sane with their friends, but then turn batshit crazy as soon as they turn to face their partner -- Steve and Janet in particular, but that's just the way love is sometimes. Especially in your teens and your 20's. (Ok, who are we kidding? I still see that happening to people in their 30's) In the end, the truth is what keeps us interested and relating to them even if we don't necessarily like what we see.
The realization I had after the movie was finished though, was that these guys weren't really that directionless... in love perhaps, but not much in their lives otherwise. Linda and Steve had viable jobs that looked fulfilling and might lead to a successful career and money. Cliff's following his dream and while impractical, there's nothing directionless about that. And Janet was going back to architecture school. The movie stayed on the topic of their love lives and didn't really pose any questions about other aspects of their lives. It's a tight focus but it works, sometimes you open up the possibilities too much and wind up with a mess of a movie. Cameron Crowe knew better.
I'm not gonna go into detail about the soundtrack, all the great Seattle bands' cameos, etc. It was fun to see them all grace the screen but ultimately I feel like a poser when I try to write about Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam or Soundgarden. Truth is, I look back fondly and respectfully at their contributions to music now, but at the time I never had a full appreciation for them.
So I think I'll just leave you with a line from the movie, this is Steve on the phone with Linda:
"Linda Powell? Steve Dunne...Hey, yeah, I met you... 61 hours ago... Yeah, that was me.. Listen, uh, do you want to get some dinner?... Uh, how about some lunch?... No lunch. Coffee?.. Water? How about some water?... I'll meet you where you're already having lunch, and we'll have some water"LOL, like/share/+1 this blog if you've ever wound up making an awkward date like that one!
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