Singles (1992)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Cameron Crowe

Writer (WGA):

Cameron Crowe (written by)

Release Date:

18 September 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love is a game. Easy to start. Hard to finish.

Plot:

A group of twenty-something friends, most of whom live in the same apartment complex, search for love and success in grunge-era Seattle.

Plot Keywords:

Seattle | Single | Pearl Jam | Twenty Something | Grunge

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Bridget Fonda	...	Janet Livermore
Campbell Scott	...	Steve Dunne
Kyra Sedgwick	...	Linda Powell
Sheila Kelley	...	Debbie Hunt
Jim True-Frost	...	David Bailey (as Jim True)
Matt Dillon	...	Cliff Poncier
Bill Pullman	...	Dr. Jeffrey Jamison
James LeGros	...	Andy
Devon Raymond	...	Ruth
Camilo Gallardo	...	Luiz
Ally Walker	...	Pam
Eric Stoltz	...	The Mime
Jeremy Piven	...	Doug Hughley
Tom Skerritt	...	Mayor Weber
Peter Horton	...	Jamie

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, sex related dialogue and scenes of sensuality.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 (original rating) | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2003) | UK:15 (video rating) (1993) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

In an early scene at the coffee shop, Janet Livermore looks over a somewhat bizarre-looking customer's shoulder at a book that she is reading. Although the title is obscured, the book is "Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung," a collection of pieces by the rock journalist Lester Bangs. Bangs was an inspiration and mentor for Cameron Crowe, as depicted in Almost Famous (2000), in which Bangs is played by Philip Seymour Hoffman and advises the fictionalized version of the young Crowe.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After Steve and Linda have water in the restaurant, he offers to giver her a ride back to work. As he is letting her in the passenger side, the boom mic is visible in the rear window of the car.

Quotes:

Club Interviewer: Talking here with Cliff Poncier. Cliff, any comments on the "Seattle Sound" and Citizen Dick's place in it?
Cliff Poncier: Well, I don't like to reduce us to just being part of the "Seattle Sound." I'd like to think of us as expanding more. Like, we're huge in Europe right now. I mean, we've got records... uh, a big record just broke in Belgium.
Club Interviewer: Now, a song like "Touch Me, I'm Dick" is about... what?
Cliff Poncier: Well, I think "Touch Me, I'm Dick," in essence, speaks for itself, you know. I think that, you know, that's basically what the song is, um... about... is about, you know... I-I think a lot of people might think it's actually about, you know,"My name is Dick, and, you know, you can touch me," but, I think, you know, it can be seen either way.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "I Love the '90s: Part Deux" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Jinx

A page from the Grunge Diaries...

Singles was made during the height of the grunge years, the early 90's youth's attempt to be profound. Aside from sounding like neo-hippies, those years did produce some gnarley music and strange fashions.

Set in the birthplace of Grunge, Seattle Washington, the film follows several twenty-somethings attempt to find love. Bridget Fonda is Janet, is a self-doubting young woman who is hopelessly trying to get the attention of the clueless multi-employed singer, Cliff (Matt Dillon). Debbie (Shelia Kelley) is so desperate for a relationship, she seeks to find that lasting relationship with a horrible video dating service.

Unfortunately, some of the character's doubts about their relationships comes from trying too hard to go by some previously established, understood rules of dating. Such is the initial problem between Linda (Kyra Sedwick) and Steve (Campbell Scott). Notice his opening pick up line. And they are really the main characters in the story, trying to dodge any obstacles that might screw up the chances for this relationship because this could be The One. The entire dating plot becomes rather self-indulgent, though the more entertaining one is between Janet and Cliff, since Cliff is such an oblivious moron.

And, what is an early 90s Seattle-based movie without some music? This movie is partly advertised for it's soundtrack, which features Pearl Jam (the gorgeous Eddie Vedder and bassist Jeff Ahmet of Pearl Jam appear in several scenes as accompanying musicians in Cliff's band, Citizen Dick). Soundgarden has a stage scene as does Alice in Chains. They picked the creme of the crop of Seattle Grunge (but where's Nirvana?) to add some flavor to this somewhat lackluster movie. I've never been much a fan of Cameron Crowe films, anyways, which I think are often overrated (see Vanilla Sky). If for nothing else, I'd highly recommend it for fans of the Grunge Days because this is really a page from the Grunge Diaries.