HIGH FIDELITY (2000) / *** 1/2
Directed by Stephen Frears. Screenplay by D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack and Scott Rosenberg, based on the novel by Nick Hornby. Starring Cusack, Todd Louiso, Jack Black. Running time: 113 minutes. Rated AA for offensive language (MFCB). Reviewed on April 12th, 2000.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Here they are, my all-time Top Five Things To Know About "High Fidelity":
1. The synopsis (well, every review's got to have a synopsis, right?).
Relationships and music, music and relationships -- that's pretty much what "High Fidelity" is all about. John Cusack plays Rob Gordon, a thirtysomething record store owner whose longtime girlfriend Laura (Iben Hjejle) has just left him. Watching her drive away, Rob makes up a list of his top five worst break-ups, and is delighted that Laura hasn't made the cut. At a crossroads in his life, Rob decides to revisit each of these five former lovers (including half the cast of "The Haunting"). He hopes that in so doing, he will finally figure out why all of his romantic entanglements turn out disastrously. Meantime, he's also got to decide if he's happy spending his days running a record store, or if he wants to get something more out of life.
2. The star.
There can be little doubt that this movie turns on John Cusack's everyman qualities. Cusack has always had a broad appeal, even when he's portrayed such unusual characters as a professional assassin ("Grosse Pointe Blank") and a puppeteer with a mystical connection to John Malkovich ("Being John Malkovich"). In "High Fidelity", for once he's playing a character who isn't larger-than-life. Rob Gordon is a pretty regular guy, with a regular job and regular problems; it's hard not to relate, so the movie is accessible on a very fundamental level. His overriding passion is music, and his life is replete with its trappings, but not to the point where we feel alienated from him. For example, to help himself get over Laura, he reorganizes his record collection. "Chronologically?" he's asked. "Autobiographically," he replies, and our gut reaction is no different than if he were eating cookie dough ice cream. Rob is a well-crafted character, and Cusack's portrayal of him is spot on -- if its main character weren't someone the audience could relate to, "High Fidelity" would have been a flop.
The toughest aspect of Cusack's performance is the fact that he makes frequent asides to the audience; indeed, in several cases these asides become full-blown soliloquies. But Cusack knows how to deliver a monologue; he keeps them lively and interesting, without exaggerating for effect. Indeed, these are some of "High Fidelity"'s most enjoyable scenes, which is an accomplishment, given that this kind of filmmaking device often comes across as stagy and dull.
3. The supporting cast.
Cusack might be the high point of "High Fidelity", but it doesn't hurt that he's been placed in pretty talented company. Of particular note are Todd Louiso and Jack Black as Dick and Barry, Rob's employees at the record store, die-hard music buffs who were hired as part-time help years ago and haven't stopped showing up since. Barry is the loud and boisterous one, while Dick is reserved and polite. Together, they form one of the best comic double acts in quite some time. Also very good is Iben Hjejle as Laura. Hjejle's is the film's most complex role: for much of the movie, she has to be convincingly at odds with the protagonist, but at the same time not come across as "the villain", nor forget that Laura and Rob did once care about each other -- and, perhaps, still do. The relationship between Rob and Laura is meant to be realistic, and even though we're seeing everything from Rob's biased perspective, this sense of realism would have been shattered had Hjejle's performance not been so moderate and considered.
4. The cameos.
In addition to the movie's main cast, a number of popular actors have extended cameos in "High Fidelity". These are a lot of fun, especially since several of the actors are playing either exaggerated versions of their public image, or else totally against type. For example, Tim Robbins is cast as Ray, an irritating, ponytailed faux-intellectual who is Laura's new love interest. One of the movie's funniest scenes depicts Rob fantasizing about all the things he'd like to do Ray when the latter confronts him over Laura. Needless to say, the fantasies are neither pretty nor anything approximating reality. Catherine Zeta-Jones, meanwhile, plays Rob's ex-girlfriend Charlie, a sensuous high-society type who may not be everything Rob remembers.
5. The script.
Based on the 1995 novel by Nick Hornby, "High Fidelity" is a hilarious and eclectic look at love, but one which will likely ring true to many viewers. Particularly interesting is the way the movie's version of events is subordinate to Rob's views on his life. Our introduction to various characters and situations is colored by his opinions and memories, and so even though it might feel like we're getting the whole story, there are times when we're really only getting a Rob-biased perspective on things. As Rob uncovers the misunderstandings and misconceptions which have dominated his love life, so too do we.
Probably the only real downside to "High Fidelity" is a subplot about Rob's desire to be a record producer. Although it does arise naturally from the film's subject material, it nonetheless feels artificially appended to the movie, there mostly to give the events a typical Hollywood ending. But "High Fidelity" doesn't really need this; its proper climax comes fifteen minutes before the credits roll, and the extra material ultimately feels like padding. Funny padding, yes, but padding nonetheless.
But this is a minor flaw. "High Fidelity" is a fun, lightweight movie which derives its laughs not from scripted routines but from experiences most anyone who's ever been in a relationship (or even just wanted to be in a relationship) will be familiar with. It is a film which draws its audience in slowly, and plays out gradually, and this may lose people looking for a more high-octane ride. But in its totality, "High Fidelity" is an experience which is not just entertaining, but also very true.
Copyright © 2000 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies/HighFidelity.html
-- _______________________________________________________________________ / Shannon Patrick Sullivan | "We are all in the gutter, but some of us \ | shannon@morgan.ucs.mun.ca | are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde | \___________________________|__________________________________________/ | Popcorn Gallery Movie Reviews www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html | | Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time (Travel) /drwho.html |
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