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Reviews
Singles (1992)
ehhh....fun if you have an evening to fold some laundry and do your nails
Really Cameron Crowe wanted to do a typical rom-com, but he also wanted to ride on the coattails of the "Seattle grunge movement." He combined both and the finished product was "Singles." This isn't pulled off smoothly.
I have been in an interesting mood lately, trying to view things that I remember getting bludgeoned over the head with through advertising until I finally gave in as a middle schooler/teenager. "Singles" is my latest project. The idea is to see if there was any real substance to these old films or if it's just cultural fluff and a sign of the times. "Singles"=cultural fluff.
I won't deny that there is a special thrill in the first scene with Alice in Chains. And it is fun spotting Pearl Jam and Chris Cornell as youngsters. That thrill subsides pretty quickly when you find that you've entrapped yourself in a formulaic love story that tries to package itself as something modern.
Opportunities for a serious edge were squandered. Bridget Fonda's character makes some interesting and independent choices, yet the script couldn't resist putting her back where she she started. A serious plot twist that developed between Campbell Scott and Kyra Sedgwick was quickly and conveniently done away with, after only a few moments of screen time.
The movie spends a few moments here and there at local concerts with the likes of Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, and pans over the writhing "mosh pits" in an effort to remind this that this is the new 90's style of being young. Does not work with this story. As attractive as Kyra Sedgwick is (and a decent actress) I would not have chosen her for the lead female role.
Her personality and appearance to not fit the style of the movie, and she looks woefully out of place at an Alice in Chains concert, like she wandered out of an elementary school library to see what was going on.
Is it worth a watch? Yes it is. There are some genuinely funny moments that I had missed as a kid, involving cameos by Jeremy Piven and Eric Stolz. Bridget Fonda is just adorable and her style holds up pretty well after 2 decades.
However, from what I hear, we have "Singles" to thank for the parade of youth watching over the next 10-15 years, from "Reality Bites" to "Friends," bringing us more and more white post college young adults exchanging remarks and looking stylish. And let's not forget the coffee shop.
The question that begs is... Were Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden truly looking for a break through the big screen? I won't deny that this really helped a-list all those guys. Nirvana backed out. Is Chris Cornell ashamed? hmmm...
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Decent watching, despite some glaring issues
Despite what many critics say, this movie is worth a watch or two, if only to watch the interactions between the characters (the three brothers).
The acting in this movie was its strongest asset, and I believe Owen Wilson truly captured the role of the leader/controlling older brother. Perhaps people who grew up with 2 of the same gender siblings can relate to this the best. Being the oldest of my two same gender siblings, I could totally see the interactions as believable and relatable.
Thinking about these brothers and the effect their parents had on them gives this movie a strong dimension.
However, critics of this movie succinctly pointed out some problems that cannot be ignored. Suspending disbelief is one thing, but it did seem that the India shown in the movie was uniquely constructed for the benefit of the brothers' growth as characters. I seriously doubt any stewardess in India would have sex with a stranger on a train. Read up on some brutal sexual attacks on female passengers to get an idea of the sexual freedoms there.
As touching and as sad as the funeral for the boy was, it came off as heavily contrived, with an Indian boy matching each white man, and the Indian characters coming off as one dimensional and only to serve as a growth experience for the main actors.
Symbolism is always an asset in this movie, but in this movie the suitcases, the funeral, the feathers, the slow-mo effect seemed very heavy handed and deliberate. There is the unpleasant feeling that you are being manipulated and "improved" as a person by being introduced to this stylishly modern and quirky world view. This detracts from the strong character work by the actors.
However, worth a watch! Owen Wilson does a great job and Adrien Brody is cute as hell in those slouchy dress clothes!
Beautiful Girls (1996)
Very watchable, but some pretty silly dialogue
Beautiful Girls has a great story line and good characters. The plot is something anyone would be interested and relate to, and it is well acted. I really wish the dialogue were written by someone maybe a little more "earthy." There are some pretty cringe-worthy moments. In trying to capture a feeling of "bro" behavior, some of the dialog rings false, like it was either written by a woman who does not spend a lot of time with these types of men, or a man who does not have these kinds of friends.
I know many men like the ones portrayed in the movie: trapped in their own self-defeating fantasies and not particularly successful. If one of them began a conversation like the ones in the film, his friends would think he was speaking in a different language.
I know Uma Thurman was cast as the token "beautiful girl" yet some of the lines she said just sounded silly, maybe like contrived intelligent remarks. There are many highly intelligent and precociously funny teens like Natalie Portman, but they would have never said things like "daddy downer and brother bummer." That is the vernacular of a forty year old screenwriter. For a more realistic portrayal of the sharply sarcastic teen, watch Juno. I have taught for years and can see a vast difference in the two characters meant to appeal to older men.
"Bros" like these would rather stick a needle in their eye rather than sit around a piano to sing "Sweet Caroline" to a girl they want to impress. Of all the dialogue and scenes, that seems the most artificial and contrived. I wish it were taken out of the film.
I also have a few superficial quibbles...the actors do look much too old for a 10 year reunion. I am really ashamed of this particular complaint...but I sort of wish the characters had more 90's era style...to add some nostalgia. No one has any style. Also the soundtrack is horrific. However, it is very watchable overall.