I've seen bits and pieces of the themes in this movie in other movies - High Fidelity and Shop Girl are two that come to mind. While I suppose that this movie can be appreciated on a lot of levels, I don't know if you can truly see its genius if you are not of a certain age, or maybe more importantly, filled with some of the same life experiences as the main character. After all, that is what this movie is about - the experiences one has, and the experiences that one misses out on. But at no point is there any melancholy about what has happened or hasn't happened. Maybe the occasional bit of wistfulness, but nothing more, since hope seems to always be right around the bend. If you don't "get" the movie, you might consider yourself lucky.

I could go on and on about the different themes that spoke to me, but I'll instead mention a device that was used. The movie makes frequent use of flashbacks to tell the story. As we find out at the beginning of the movie, time is not linear. Similarly, the "flashbacks" aren't really flashbacks in the traditional sense. As I grow older, I find myself having my current life linked to events of my youth. In the movie, the central story line is peppered with these kind of glimmers, and they serve to bring a glorious texture to the film. This one will stay with me for days.

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