Witty, cool, apparently not for everyone

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2001)

I browsed the comments for this movie before writing this, and was surprised by the number of reviewers who didn't like this movie, especially since I had just watched it twice (mostly)! I'll do something different here.
Things to like:
1. John Cusack. I like his body of work. My favorites range from "Better Off Dead" (another controversial choice?) to Grosse Pointe Blank and Being John Malkovich. 2. Great cameos by Joan Cusack, Tim Robbins, Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lili Taylor. Anything that three of those five want to do a cameo in is worth thinking about. The bits for all five were great. 3. Music. I probably teetered on the edges of some of the excesses of music the main characters indulge in. There was a broad selection of music by different eras. Don't expect to hear too many obvious songs though - no Beatles, no "Free Bird". 4. The music geeks. A couple of great supporting characters. If you saw the performance by Jack Black near the end of the movie, it probably raised your rating of this movie by a full point. 5. The ending is emotionally satisfying. 6. Non-linear flow, talking to the camera. Arty, change of pace, can be a lot of fun.
Things to hate: I don't fully agree with all of these, although I see the point of view of those who don't.
1. Rob Gordon. Cusack's character is an immature jerk. I don't consider that a fault of the acting or the writing. 2. The music and the music geeks. A lot of the music is obscure, and our heroes are snobs. 3. The ending is a little pat. 4. Non-linear flow, talking to the camera. Apparently not everyone's cup of tea.
There's a lot of overlap there!