Ultimately, there are no complaints about this extremely likeable and watchable comedy romance

Rating: Null/10 (29 June 2000)

The locale has shifted from North London to Chicago, but the same writing team that gave us the sublime Grosse Pointe Blank have cleverly captured the essence of Hornby's book. Cusack plays Rob Gordon, an indolent record store owner who works with two enormous muso-bores (played with perfect cringe-worthiness by Louiso and Black) and has just split from his sensible laywer girlfriend Laura (Danish-born Hjejle, whose American accent is little too stern). Gordon greets us (to camera - which remarkably works) with the words "What came first music or misery?" and then proceeds to run through his "top five breakups of all time". Using flashback (another technique that rarely works) to good effect, we are treated to a couple of memorable cameos from Catherine Zeta Jones and Lili Taylor (both making up for their appearances in The Haunting). Ultimately, there are no complaints about this extremely likeable and watchable comedy romance, which is also that very rare beast - laugh-out-loud funny.