It will be interesting to see if there is any pattern to whether any specific person enjoyed this movie. I suspect that, in spite of steroetypes about relationship movies, it will find far more favor among men, especially men who struggled with dating throughout their 20's and 30's. The Squirrel (who met me when she was 24) did not enjoy this movie anywhere near as much as I did.
John Cusack plays a record store owner who has had considerable misfortune with women, including a breakup which is still in progress as the movie starts. Much of the movie involves replaying his Top 5 breakups in his mind to see how he can get back together with the most recent ex. The style of the movie, including all-too-frequently resorting to Cusack turning to the camera and talking directly to the audience, is choppy at best. The acting, other than Cusack, is generally low-key and unnuanced.
Where this movie shines is in the growth of the characters themselves. I have not read the book on which the movie was based, and suspect that the real praise is due to the author. Nonetheless, the romantic struggles of the record shop nerds hit very close to home, and the lessons Cusack's character learns over the course of the movie (and which took me much of my 20's to learn) is both accurate and poignantly presented. 3 1/2 planets (out of 4).
