Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Todd Louiso, Jack Black, Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joan Cusack, Tim Robbins, Lili Taylor, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Sara Gilbert, Bruce Springsteen

- Reviewed by Linda

This is your better-than-average nothing-really-happens relationship movie.

The always-likable John Cusack plays a record store owner/music snob who rates everything in his life as a Top Five list (Top Five Girlfriend Breakups, Top Five Dreams Jobs Regardless of Time and Necessary Training, etc). There is a lot of "talk to the camera" scenes by the main character, which works fine (this technique often doesn't). He is obviously having some sort of post-adolescent, take-responsibility-for-your-life crisis, as he dwells over his love life, and his past failures of the heart. 

The supporting cast is great, with appearances by Lili Taylor, Tim Robbins, and scene-stealers Jack Black and Todd Louiso who play employees at his record store. Cusack's on-again-off-again girlfriend Laura is also nicely portrayed by newcomer Danish actress (no accent!) Iben Hjejle. She comes across as more than one-dimensional, sympathetic without being a saint.

This is one of those "small movies"... it doesn't really have a climax; you just share a couple hours with quirky-but-real characters that could be you or your next door neighbor. It's worth spending the bucks in the theater to see this film (a good rainy-day matinee), but since its style is not dependent on a big screen, it would work great as a rental, too.

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