John Cusack

Iben Hjejle

Todd Louiso

Jack Black

Lisa Bonet

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Joan Cusack

Tim Robbins

Chris Rehmann

Ben Carr

Lili Taylor

Joelle Carter

Natasha Gregson Wagner

Shannon Stillo

Drake Bell

Laura Whyte

Sara Gilbert

Rich Talarico

Matthew O'Neill

Brian Powell

Margaret Travolta

Jillian Peterson

Dick Cusack

Susan Yoo

Chris Bauer

K.K. Dodds

Marilyn Dodds Frank

Duke Doyle

Aaron Himelstein

Jonathan Herrington

Daniel Lee Smith

Leah Gale

David Darlow

Erik Gundersen

Bruce Springsteen

Alex Désert

Alan S. Johnson

Ian Belknap

Andrew Micheli

Polly Noonan

Philip Rayburn Smith

Michele Graff

Susie Cusack

Liam Hayes

Damian Rogers

Robert A. Villanueva

Joe Spaulding

Scott A. Martin

Heather Norris

Timothy W. Tiedje

James Azrael

Ian Michaels

Susan Hegarty

Beverly D'Angelo

Stephen Frears

D.V. DeVincentis

Steve Pink

Scott Rosenberg

Howard Shore

Tim Bevan

Rudd Simmons

Seamus McGarvey

David Chapman

Thérèse DePrez

Mick Audsley

Victoria Thomas

Mike Newell

Alan Greenspan

Liza Chasin

Kathy Nelson

Billy Higgins

Jeffrey Wetzel

Aiman A. Humaideh

Rick LeFevour

Chris Nolte

Nicholas Lundy

Demetra Diamantopoulos

Joan Altman

Petur Hliddal

Tania Blunden

Peter Joly

Michael Higham

David Morenz

Carl Fischer

Tarn Harper

Chiemi Karasawa

Jennifer Jobst

Heather Pollock

Gina Panno

Jeanne Van Phue

Larry Lundy

Derrick Kardos

Joel Prihoda

Phillip Ellman

Danny Longhurst

Michael Redfern

Robert Swander

Art Bartels

Kim Taylor-Coleman

Wendy Weidman

Melissa Moseley

Terry Baughman

Adrian Rhodes

Brendan Donnison

Ted Swanscott

Terry Isted

Diane Greaves

Jason Swanscott

Clare Mahoney

A. Welch Lambeth

Will Gatlin

Shari Johanson

Joe Lisanti

John Stanborough

Nick Hornby

Joan Philo

Emma Thomas

Edward J. Reardon

Michael Cronin

Robert Byrnes

Patricia Newby

Thomas Coe

Laura Bauer

William R. Nielsen Jr.

Anne Johns

Margaret J. Orlando

Anita Brongiel

Anne Berger

Deborah Evans

Adrienne Swan

Andy Wheeler

Jeffrey A. Williams

Chad Erickson

Elizabeth Miller

Daniel W. Fuller

Michael D. Gianneschi

Mags Arnold

Kate Higham

Margaret Morettini

Laura Connolly

Naomi Donne

Mark Rose

James A. Miller

Michael Lange

Fernando M. Briones

Sam Barkan

Claire Simon

Louise Spencer

Drama

Comedy

Romance

Music

High Fidelity

Touchstone Pictures

Working Title Films

Dogstar Films

New Crime Productions

United Kingdom

United States of America

Dansk

English

chicago, illinois

rock 'n' roll

music record

disc jockey

ex-girlfriend

music journalist

relationship problems

record label

flashback

breaking the fourth wall

fear of commitment

falling in love

break-up

record

record album

music scene

thoughtful

breaking up with boyfriend

music culture

record store

top five

dating history

earnest

What came first - the music or the misery?

High Fidelity is directed by Stephen Frears and adapted to screenplay by D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack and Scott Rosenberg from the Nick Hornby novel. It stars Cusack, Jack Black, Iben Hjejle and Todd Louiso. Music is by Howard Shore and Cinematography by Seamus McGarvey.

Record store owner and compulsive list-compiler Rob Gordon (Cusack), embark's upon a what does it all mean mission when his latest girlfriend leaves him.

Cusack and Pink take Hornby's hugely popular novel and redirect it to Chicago, with joyous results. High Fidelity is a tale of human love and a love of music, a sort of battle of the sexes with a soundtrack of masculine life. Rob's voyage of self discovery is highly amusing, the trials and tribulations of relationships bringing out a number of scenes and scenarios that ring true, not just tickling the funny bones, but also tugging the heart and cradling the brain.

Away from the doomed love angles it's the music threads that literally strike the chords. Rob and his two co-workers Barry (Black) & Dick (Louiso) worship music and continually indulge in making top 5 lists whilst bickering with sarcastic glee in the process. All three actors are superb, a trio of odd balls bouncing off of one and other with a zest that's infectious, though it's decidedly Cusack's show. A perpetual miserablist who addresses us the audience at frequent intervals, Rob in Cusack's hands garners sympathy, pity and laughs in equal measure.

In the support slots is a ream of talent well in on the joke, beauties like Catherine Zeta-Jones (dropping F-Bombs like they are going out of fashion), Lisa Bonet & Joelle Carter are complimented by the comic skills of Joan Cusack, while Hjejle turns in a wily and womanly performance as the girlfriend who kicks starts Rob's search for meaning. Elsewhere the sight of Tim Robbins as a new age hippy type - with a black belt in martial arts - is so much fun it reminds of what a good comic actor he can be as well. 

As with Grosse Point Blank, another Cusack/Pink production, sound tracking is everything, and naturally given the setting of the story there is an abundance of classic tunes to delight in. All told it's a special movie, for all sexes and for all music lovers, but especially for anyone who has had relationship problems. Now what did come first, the music or the misery? Priceless. 9/10

Seen this one a few times over the years, still great each viewing with John Cusack in his element, might even argue should've been nominated for an Oscar. I'm not a music fan but still liked that element and features a good supporting cast. **3.75/5**

**_Romantic head games become tedious_**

Released in 2000 and directed by Stephen Frears, "High Fidelity" is a romcom/dramedy starring John Cusack, as Rob, the owner of a Chicago record store, co-starring Jack Black and Todd Louiso as his two employees, Barry and Dick. When Rob's relationship with his live-in girlfriend, Laura (Iben Hjejle) falls apart, he reflects on the five worst break-ups of his dozen years of dating. His past girlfriends are played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joelle Carter, Lili Taylor and Natasha Gregson Wagner. Tim Robbins appears as Rob's rival for Laura's affections while Joan Cusack is on hand as Laura's sister. Lisa Bonet plays a rocker chick, a passing fancy for Rob. Sara Gilbert has a bit part.

What's interesting about "High Fidelity" is that it features the five general prototypes of guys' dating life: (1.) the first crush & kiss, (2.) adolescent urgency & loss of virginity, (3.) the hot babe out of his league, (4.) the rebound best friend & soul mate, and (5.) his one true love (maybe).

If you've ever made a compilation tape for a babe and worked at a record store you might appreciate this film. You'll particularly like it if you favor romantic head games, which I find irritating and is the main reason I have mixed feelings about the film (speaking as a one-woman type of guy). Because of this, I had a hard time staying with it, although there's enough good in the movie to make it somewhat worthwhile. It's witty and you can tell the creators put a lot of thought into it, but Rob's mopey reflections as he constantly speaks to the camera get tedious after a while. Don't get me wrong, John pulls off the challenging lead role and does so convincingly; I just found his perpetually-smoking character uninteresting. As far as the soundtrack goes, the 90's pop rock struck me as mostly bland.

Thankfully, there are several amusing moments. For instance, the scene where someone confronts Rob at the record store in the second half is laugh-out-loud funny, but Rob's relationship with Laura is decidedly Uninteresting; and Laura's emotional instability and indecisiveness become increasingly annoying (anyone who would marry such a relationally fickle person would have to be insane). Actually, most of Rob's romantic relationships become annoying although, like I said, there are amusing bits. Then there's Barry who arrogantly thinks his opinion on music is law; I kept hoping he'd get his teeth knocked in. On a positive note, the mental manipulations of Rob's unstable romantic life are offset by Dick, who shows the way to go.

"Empire Records" (1995) is the better movie simply because it doesn't go overboard with the dating/romance head games crap.

The film runs 113 minutes and was shot in Chicago.

GRADE: C

Allan Arkush on HIGH FIDELITY

High Fidelity Official Trailer

"High Fidelity (2000)" Theatrical Trailer

High Fidelity( 2000)

A comedy about fear of commitment, hating your job, falling in love and other pop favorites.

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A review by John Chard

Written by John Chard on Mon Jul 06 2015

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