Singles (1992) review

Tough-ish times for young people in grunge-era Seattle: waitress Janet (Bridget Fonda) is infatuated with musician Cliff (Matt Dillon), Linda (Kyra Sedgwick) isn't sure where her relationship with train enthusiast Steve (Campbell Scott) is going, and Debbie (Sheila Kelley) reeks of desperation.  As is typical with any Crowe film, there are wall-to-wall songs (from the likes of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees, Mudhoney and so on) and a few funny moments (courtesy of Paul Giamatti and basketball player Xavier McDaniel) but this is one of the most vacuous and self-absorbed movies he's ever written: the completely unlikeable characters routinely "break the fourth wall" to express their petty concerns about life, and Janet is convinced she needs breast implants to "fix herself" (mercifully her doctor, played by Bill Pullman, talks her out of it).  To make matters worse, this might have been - according to an article by music critic Jim DeRogatis - the main inspiration behind the bafflingly popular television show Friends.  You're my lobster, etc.