Singles (1992) is full of good ideas executed horribly and curious production decisions. I can’t say that I wasn’t entertained by Cameron Crowe’s off-the-wall approach to the romantic comedy but he makes several fatal mistakes that sink this. Starting with the casting of Campbell Scott as a romantic lead. His flat delivery makes every joke miss by a wide margin. All the best jokes come from Bridget Fonda, Matt Dillon, or Cameron Crowe’s editing — especially, the Xavier Sonics scene –but, the genuineness of this thing makes the premise and tone of the vision lose focus.
Even with all the great inserts and throwaway gags, it still manages to stay conventional enough to not say anything meaningful thematically about relationships. It’s a misleading title because singles are the last thing this guy is. He’s constantly attached. A few passing notes, Matt Dillon as the spaced-out grunge Seattle star saves this film from utter obscurity. His scenes arrive out of thin air and provide life to a lifeless canvas. Crowe in general is cringe-inducing 90’s romance but Singles falls away from that melodrama more than most of his filmography. It’s more in the spirit of singles comedy without the single people.
The main elements Singles has working for it, is the fact that its a singularly generation X film in ways many 90s and mid-2000s films fail to capture. It understands the cultural parts of dating, relationships and what happiness at that time looked like. Second, it gives us a peak into grunge Seattle in a lived-in way. It’s not a replicate of Seattle’s grunge scene but it comes closer to it than any preexisting film. I mean, Matt Dillion is essentially Kurt Cobain but in a over stylized cartoonish depcition.
Review: ☆☆☆½ (80)
Weird Verdict:
Weird Cinema 