Singles- Review

Singles is a charming romantic comedy that explores Seattle amidst the emerging grunge scene and the personal lives of twenty and thirty-somethings within the same building complex. Directed by Cameron Crowe, it features the talents of Matt Dillon, Bridget Fonda, Kyra Sedgwick and Campbell Scott.

The story follows the lives of a group of Gen X'ers and their multiple private and public lives. In amongst a documentary styled introduction (briefly) to each of these characters, the Seattle sound follows them in every step they take, shaping their communication and mutual interests.

The Performances: Matt Dillon's character, Cliff. Cliff is a dim-witted and upcoming musician who works four jobs and has no clue on how to be a good boyfriend. The role itself is tired but with the right actor, can actually be quite fun to follow. Considering this was a rom-com, the characterisation of Cliff was both funny and well presented.

Bridget Fonda played the role of Janet, a coffee-bar waitress with googly, heart-shaped eyes for Cliff. In between trying to attend every one of Cliff's practice sessions, she dreams of paying off her loans and attending school. Bridget's role here is obviously a character used in many romance films. The girl who lusts over a boy who doesn't pay her attention or coincidently plays the 'treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen' card. However, she made her role believable and would probably have any woman or girl shaking their head thinking, "ain't that the truth!"

Kyra Sedgwick plays the role of Linda, a girl known as being in the right place at the wrong time. I had a few problems with her role, but more so for the fact that I just didn't see her as a perfect fit for this character. I also understand that the Gen X age representation is anywhere between 19-29 years old (at the time of this movie, 1992) but felt that she looked and acted somewhat too old.

Finally, Campbell Scott played the role of Steve, a guy so unlucky in love that he resorts to old pick-up lines. He and Linda later become an item but are tested on their ability to remain together in trying times. Campbell's portrayal of Steve was also another relatable role and one I frequently nodded my head to. It's so painfully relatable.

The cons: The only aspect of this film I really had a problem with was the characters. I can appreciate the actors, but I found the actual characters themselves to be a little elementary. Everyday people are usually boring, but everyone has a story and I just expected the stories of these individuals to be a little more enticing.

While this movie is very sitcom-styled (something I usually like to avoid), I really loved the ideas that were enclosed in this film. Particularly putting real life grunge musicians in front of the camera. I loved seeing bands such as Alice in Chains and Soundgarden being the main bands that people within this movie would go down to the club to watch and loved it even more when I saw the other members of Cliff's band, Citizen Dick, contained Pearl Jam.

This film is a little bit of a give or take. Not something I'd include on a priorities list but definitely something to fill a 99 minute time slot with.

Score: 5/10.