High Fidelity
My top five reasons I like High Fidelity:
1) it features a sharp, funny screenplay,
2) there's a great performance by John Cusack in the lead role,
3) the supporting cast does stellar work,
4) it's the rare romantic comedy that doesn't make women look like idiots, and
5) it packs in lots of stupid top 5 lists like this one.
In High Fidelity, John Cusack (Say Anything, (Grosse Pointe Blank) stars as Rob Gordon, a directionless young man whose girlfriend Laura breaks up with him because "he hasn't changed since the day they met." This turn of events leads Rob to think back to his previous relationships and why they went wrong. Being a vinyl record store owner and music afficianado, he puts together a Top 5 list of his five worst breakups.
Rob then retells the amusing stories of these five relationships in hilarious detail, and reconnects with each of his former loves to find out why they dumped him. In between, he laments the loss of Laura and tries to figure out how to get her back. Much of his pondering takes place at his record store, where his sounding board is his two socially inept clerks, both of whom live and breathe obscure contemporary music.
These two record shop clerks are good for plenty of laughs. Most critics and friends of mine particularly like the antics of Jack Black as Barry, a loudmouth who enjoys mocking mainstream patrons that don't share his encyclopedic knowledge of music. I'm forced to confess that I find Black's performance more obnoxious than amusing for the most part. Personally, my money's with Todd Louiso as Dick, a nerdy, pensive employee who tries (mostly without success) to pawn his obscure musical tastes on others. Chances are you've met a character like Dick at some point, especially if you spent any time at your college's radio station.
Other performances of note include Catherine Zeta-Jones as an ex of Rob's who's more than a little full of herself, and Tim Robbins in an amusing turn as a guru/freak named Ian Raymond who is rumored to have amazing sexual prowess. Others faces you'll recognize include Joan Cusack, Lisa Bonet and Lili Taylor.
Cusack himself gives a wonderfully self-deprecating performance, eagerly mocking his own foolishness in his dealings with women. And in contrast to many other films, his female partners make no bones about (deservedly) telling him how much of an asshole, idiot, and irresponsible and immature moron he is.
Director Frears has done a fine job of translating Hornby's novel to the big screen (not to mention transforming its setting from England to the United States). In a lackluster year for films, High Fidelity is a surprising comedic gem that definitely stands a chance of working its way into your Top-5-of-the-year movie list.
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There's enough laughs in this charming flick to deserve a few libations.
When a rare quality romantic comedy comes along, everyone wins.
Buy this movie from Amazon.com
