History Film / Singles

''Singles'' is an ensemble comedy set in Seattle in the early 1990's. Steve Dunne meets Linda Powell at a club, and they hit it off. The ups and downs of their relationship are contrasted with those of Steve's friend (and ex-girlfriend) Janet Livermore, who is increasingly frustrated with how aloof her boyfriend, lead of proto-grunge band named "Citizen Dick" Cliff Poncier, acts towards her. With some running threads about other friends, it shows the ups and downs of relationships for Generation X in the pre-dot-com era.

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** Jeremy Piven plays the clerk at the drugstore that Steve stops by at one point. Also, [[Music/PearlJam Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, and Stone Gossard]] all play themselves as Cliff's bandmembers. Finally, Bill Pullman as the plastic surgeon that Janet visits.
** [[Music/{{Soundgarden}} Chris Cornell]] showing up to watch Cliff's car stereo misadventure, and [[TimBurton Tim Burton]] as the director of Debbie's dating video.
** Debbie ends up with [[Series/{{Alias}} Jack Bristow]], and her roommate is [[Series/{{Profiler}} Dr. Sam Waters]]
** Blink and you'll miss "Kissing Man", played by a certain Paul Giamatti ("Kissing Woman" was played by his then-girlfriend Alicia Roper; both of them headed off to the MFA Acting Program at Yale shortly after this film was shot)
** [[Series/{{Thirtysomething}} Gary Shepherd]] is the bicycle guy.

** [[{{Thirtysomething}} Gary Shepherd]] is the bicycle guy.

* Brick Joke: Cliff is telling the story of the guy Debbie has finally hooked up with while delivering her flowers from him. After he delivers them, he mentions he has to sneak into Debbie's apartment and spell her name out in rose petals. He then looks up and sees Janet, who's broken up with him but whom he still pines for. A few scenes later, Janet comes home to find Cliff has spelled out a message for her in rose petals. Doubles as an IronicEcho.

* TheCameo: Basketball player Xavier [=McDaniels=], in what may be the movie's [[CrowningMomentOfFunny most hilarious line]]. Also cameos from various grunge personalities, including all the members of Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell, Tad Doyle and Bruce Pavitt.

** Reference is made to building airplanes, as Boeing used to be by far the largest employer in the Seattle area (Boeing since has left the area; tech companies such as {{Nintendo}}, {{Microsoft}}, and Amazon are the local heavyweights now).

** Debbie ends up with [[{{Alias}} Jack Bristow]], and her roommate is [[{{Profiler}} Dr. Sam Waters]]

** Debbie ends up with Victor Garber, of {{Alias}} and {{Titanic}} fame, and her roommate is Ally Walker from ''Series/{{Profiler}}''.

It's very much an UnintentionalPeriodPiece and love letter to both Seattle and the early alternative rock/grunge scene, written and directed by Cameron Crowe.

* TheCameo: Basketball player Xavier [=McDaniels=], in what may be the movie's [[CrowningMomentOfFunny most hilarious line]].
** Also cameos from various grunge personalities, including all the members of Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell, Tad Doyle and Bruce Pavitt.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Jeremy Piven plays the clerk at the drugstore that Steve stops by at one point. Also, [[Music/PearlJam Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, and Stone Gossard]] all play themselves as Cliff's bandmembers. Finally, Bill Pullman as the plastic surgeon that Janet visits.
** Not to mention [[Music/{{Soundgarden}} Chris Cornell]] showing up to watch Cliff's car stereo misadventure, and [[TimBurton Tim Burton]] as the director of Debbie's dating video.
** And Debbie ends up with Victor Garber, of {{Alias}} and {{Titanic}} fame, and her roommate is Ally Walker from ''Series/{{Profiler}}''.

It's very much an UnintentionalPeriodPiece and love letter to both Seattle and the early alternative rock/grunge scene, written and directed by CameronCrowe.

** And Debbie ends up with Victor Garber, of {{Alias}} and {{Titanic}} fame, and her roommate is Ally Walker from {{Profiler}}.

** And Debbie ends up with Victor Garber, of {{Alias}} and {{Titanic}} fame.

** And Debbie ends up with [[Alias: Jack Bristow]].

** And Debbie ends up with {{Alias: Jack Bristow}}.

** And Debbie ends up with [[{{Alias}}: Jack Bristow}}.
* HilariousInHindsight: Cliff gets a rock critic review that says he's terrible, but his backing band is pretty good.

** And Debbie ends up with [[{{Alias}} Jack Bristow}}.

** And Debbie ends up with {{Alias Jack Bristow}}.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Jeremy Piven plays the clerk at the drugstore that Steve stops by at one point. Also, [[PearlJam Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, and Stone Gossard]] all play themselves as Cliff's bandmembers. Finally, Bill Pullman as the plastic surgeon that Janet visits.

** Not to mention [[SoundGarden Chris Cornell]] showing up to watch Cliff's car stereo misadventure, and [[TimBurton Tim Burton]] as the director of Debbie's dating video.