HIGH FIDELITY
Review by John Beachem
* * * *
Directed by: Stephen Frears Written by: Nick Hornby (novel), D.V. DeVincentis
Thinking back over all the horrible relationships you've had, could you rank them in order of how painful they were? Rob Gordon, wonderfully played by John Cusack ("Grosse Point Blank", "Being John Malkovich"), is capable of ranking not only his worst relationships, but everything else for that matter. Rob ranks his favorite songs, albums, movies, performers, and anything else he can think of. Rob then proceeds to explain to the camera and the audience why he has ranked things in such a way. I've always felt that John Cusack was one of the more underappreciated comic actors of our time, and he has only recently begun to be recognized by audiences and critics. I was pleased to find that "High Fidelity" gives him the oppurtunity to really display his comic talents.
Rob Gordon runs a record store called Champion Vinyl with his two employees, the obnoxious Barry (Jack Black) and the meek Dick (Todd Louiso). Rob has just been dumped by the light of his life, Laura (Iben Hjejle), and he isn't handling it particularly well. He now spends his time relating his past miserable experiences to the camera and trying to determine just where he went wrong. The thing really driving Rob nuts is that Laura left him for a guy named Ian (Tim Robbins), or Roy - he's never quite sure which name the guy goes by. His sister, Liz (Joan Cusack), is first sympethetic to Rob's problems, but eventually gives up on him. Rob decides to revisit his five worst breakups to determine where exactly he went wrong in each relationship.
There's something about "High Fidelity" which is strangely endearing. It may be Cusack's performance as a man almost everyone can relate to in some way; or it might be the interesting narrative style used throughout the film. However, I'm sure it has more to do with Cusack's Rob being such a sympathetic character, despite the way he acts at times. Certainly one of the film's greatest features is the wonderful soundtrack (what do you expect in a movie about a record store). Stephen Frears ("Mary Reilly") manages to use music of just about every type, each song chosen to perfectly accompany the scene in which it is used. Speaking of music, Jack Black ("The Jackal", "Enemy of the State") is given a musical number near the end of the film that makes me believe the man maybe in the wrong line of work.
If you're going into "High Fidelity" expecting a laugh-out-loud movie like "There's Something About Mary", you're in for a disappointment. While there are one or two truly hilarious scenes (the confrontation between Ian and Rob, for example), the majority of the film is one you can't help but chuckle at all the way through. The characters are all eccentric and at least mildly amusing, except for Jack Black's character, Barry, who is an absolute riot. I'm not sure why Black has been hiding out in minor roles for the past seven years, but someone has to hand that man a leading role in something. As for the rest of the cast, Joan Cusack and Tim Robbins are both sadly underused, though newcomer Iben Hjejle is given plenty of screen time in which to shine. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lili Taylor, and even Bruce Springsteen all show up in what amount to cameos.
"High Fidelity" is certainly a fun movie, but it's far from perfect. The romantic elements are sometimes a bit overused, which leaves the film humorless at times. The movie also runs a bit too long at 113 minutes, with the last fifteen being almost unnecessary (except Black's musical number). If you're a fan of John Cusack, I would certainly recommend this movie. If you're one of those rare individuals who doesn't care for him, "High Fidelity" just might make you a fan of his. I'm not sure if the soundtrack is out yet, but if it is I'd recommend picking it up. One last thing I wanted to note, I'm not sure what Frears believes Chicago is like, but I could have sworn there were more people living there than we see here. I'd recommend "High Fidelity" to just about anyone (unless you dislike comedies, of course) and give it four out of five stars.
Comments? Feel free to e-mail them to: johnbeachem@dependentfilms.net For past reviews, movie news, and other fun stuff, visit: http://www.dependentfilms.net
* * * * * - One of the greatest movies ever made, see it now. * * * * - Great flick. Try and catch this one. * * * - Okay movie, hits and misses. * * - Pretty bad. See it if you have nothing better to do. * - One of the worst movies ever. See it only if you enjoy pain.
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