To true to life..

Rating: 9/10 (16 August 2000)

John Cusak is Rob Gordon, a record nut aficionado who owns a vintage record store in Chicago. Rob's store is a carbon copy of every music/vinyl nuts salvation. The movie is told through Rob's narration. Many times he speaks directly into the camera right to the audience. He is telling us his life is a dismal failure with relationships and that is what the movie is essentially about.. Rob's relationship screw-ups and that he is a failure.
One thing Rob does is classify everything into top 5 lists. He then proceeds to talk about his top 5 break ups of all time just as we are introduced to him and see his current fiancée leave him. We are also introduced to other characters in his life particularly 2 people who work at his store. Rob hired them to work in only 3 days a week but they drop by EVERY DAY to work and talk shop cause they have no life other than talking about music. Rob can't get rid of them, particularly one guy who is so uppity with his taste in music, that he frequently insults customers tastes who come to the store with his elitist music attitude. Thinking Rob is somewhat cursed he decides to revisit what happened to the other top 5 in his life to find answers, and perhaps but his soul at ease.
This movie is a total riot. You will TOTALLY recognize all these characters as someone you knew or currently know in your life, and that's one of the movies greatest successes. The characters are so real as they talk about, love, loss, rejection, money, sex etc This movie also has some hilarious scenes, one in particular that is SO funny that I thought I was going to die in the theatre. The audience was just HOWLING!!! I can't tell you what it is you have to see the film.
Also the flashbacks of Rob that are shown are great particularly when he is in college during the 80's. They had the style of the decade down perfectly (even though it was a very small part in the film). Also it is probably the best movie that deals about relationships that I have ever seen. Every guy can relate to Rob and his experiences with other women. I certainly know that for a fact being through what Rob went through as well. Also a good friend of mine had the exact same thing happen to him with someone he was living with.
This is one of the few movies that I have seen that shows what relationships really are. They are complicated, they are NOT simple. There were very few faults I could find with this film. The only one that I felt somewhat was that it seemed a little long. Tim Robbins, and Catherine Zeta Jones also make some good cameos. And the movie has the coolest ending credits I have ever seen in a film.
Needless to say, this is the best movie I have seen this year so far.
Rating 9 out of 10.