Romance Comedy from a Man's Point-of-View

Rating: 8/10 (8 September 2005)

Cusack delivers a lighthearted performance as Rob Gordon, an introspective self-loathing record store owner who is stuck riding a perpetual roller coaster of relationships and breakups. We are introduced to the character of Rob as he descends a downward spiral soon after his breakup with his latest girlfriend Laura (Hjejle). Being a quirky enthusiast of pop culture music, Cusack's character obsessively constructs a "top-five" list for almost every occasion in his life. The story unfolds with Rob embarking on a journey of self-realization. Using pop music as a soundtrack for the autobiography of his life, he recounts his track record with the multiple women from his past relationships, creating a "top-five" list of the worst breakups of all time. We are introduced to a variety of wonderful actors (Jack Black, Tod Louiso, Tim Robbins) and actresses (Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joan Cusac) along his journey, and we see the character of Rob undergoing a natural metamorphosis of coming to terms with himself, casting aside his dead-end single life, and becoming a mature individual with realistic goals and direction.
This movie is simply one of the most natural movies I've seen. It appears to have been easy to make, and it plays in such a manner that it is very easy to watch. The characters are extremely organic, very tangible and realistic. The movie's comedic aspects are well balanced by plot and character development and are almost entirely carried by the dialogue and the dynamic between the characters. Two sub-plots include Dick (Louiso) and Barry (Black), two socially misguided employees in Rob's record store whose extremes in personality bookend Rob's character and actually make him look more normal, and Laura's new fling, Ian (Robbins), an urban Zen-junkie that specializes in conflict resolution. To say the least, this movie is a satirical view of the male standpoint on love and romance, and many men may a find a piece of Rob Gordon within their own lives.
SIMILAR MOVIES: Swingers (1996); Bottle Rocket (1996); Clerks (1994); Chasing Amy (1997); 24 Hour Party People (2002)