Movies…with a little bit of obscure culture and sports mixed in
“Rob, a record store owner and compulsive list maker, recounts his top five breakups, including the one in progress.” Director: Stephen FrearsWriters: Nick Hornby, D.V. DeVincentis, Steve PinkStaring: John Cusack, […]
“Rob, a record store owner and compulsive list maker, recounts his top five breakups, including the one in progress.”
Director: Stephen Frears
Writers: Nick Hornby, D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink
Staring: John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Todd Louiso, Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Tim Robbins
Release Date: March 31, 2000
IMDB
High Fidelity (2000) is an outstanding quarter life crisis movie. John Cusack is perfectly depressed and arrogant as Rob Jordan, and the supporting action of Jack Black as Barry Judd is top notch character work. High Fidelity is a breakup movie that has its own language, its own vernacular, and it doesn’t care if you know all its dictation or punctuation. Even if you are not a music fan, there is still a ton of pleasure to be taken from embracing High Fidelity.
Rob Gordon (John Cusack) is the proud owner of a used vinyl record store and a former club DJ. Gordon runs his shop with Barry Judd (Jack Black) and Dick (Todd Louiso) and the three are certified music know-it-alls. These snobs argue all day long about their top-five lists, but sometimes real world problems affect their moods.
The story and vibes plunge down the drain when Laura (Iben Hjejle) breaks up with Rob, sending him into a mental spin cycle. The heartbroken tape maker connoisseur begins revisiting his past relationships, both metaphorically and literally. He has plenty of conversations with these former ladies of interest, and also himself. He discovers a life lesson or two each time, but whether or not he accepts it is up for grabs.
High Fidelity wraps itself up both nicely, and messily. Does that make sense? There is an end to the storyline, but there are still questions that can be asked about the characters. By the end of High Fidelity it is not so much about the plot, but more about the characters. More about the personalities. You can put a period at the end of it, but perhaps you could add a few more to make an ellipsis.
This is going to be a truly absurd thing to say, but the character of Rob Gordon reminded me of a classmate from middle school. James Sheehan, if in a million to one shot you are reading this, Mr. Gordon reminded me of you.
Rob is a dick. He is a professional asshole. He says things you aren’t supposed to. He is honest to a fault and impatient to get to the point. Nobody in their right mind should like hanging out with Rob, but he has that aura you can’t peel yourself away from. He is like a rock star. He is like the people he studies.
John Cusack walks the walk and talks the talk with the part. He has the slouch, quick reactions, and ad-libbed mania perfect for a man who doesn’t know what he wants. Gordon is a man who dislikes what is cool, so he can’t allow himself to follow the social norm. No way. He can’t be in love, or god-forbid fight for love. It needs to find him, so he can pretend not to be interested. Cusack plays that inner turmoil perfectly, and he odds on the perfect extra dose of comedy.
The character of Laura is the catalyst of the movie. She breaks up with Rob, and she is at the plot’s center at all times. Rob bases his decisions on how he thinks about Laura. His reflections on all relationships involve him comparing it to the one he longs for. Iben Hjejle tackles the part, and it was a tough open field tackle. Laura as a character goes on an emotional journey. She breaks off Rob and we are seeing the story through the eyes of Rob, yet despite him showing anger on screen, there is also empathy for Laura.
I say this knowing the severity of what I am about to say. This may be Jack Black’s greatest performance. Barry Judd would not be the same in any other actor’s hands. Black has the perfect amount of sass, pompousness, and low self-esteem. Judd does the unbelievable job of blowing every single character off the screen. The way he talks with crescendo and ends every single with the perfect inflection forces you to get into his argument.
High Fidelity speaks with its own voice, its own tempo, and its own purpose. The screenplay written by four very talented people takes the book of Nick Hornby’s book and makes its audible music. Even if you are not a music fan there is still plenty of pulp to chew on. The songs and artists definitely serve a purpose of painting an audience’s picture. High Fidelity gets the unique credit for fitting into different categories.
If you are a music hooligan, then High Fidelity is a detailed illustration you could dissect with a microscope. You can go over every corner of it with a fine tooth comb. You could go through the entire playlist of High Fidelity and argue it to death with your friends. However, if you are a normal fan then High Fidelity looks like an abstract work. You aren’t entirely sure what the artist is trying to paint, but you are captivated nonetheless. It just has that IT quality.
Who doesn’t love a quality, what’s the purpose of my life? movie. You want to question some choices you made from your past? You want to reexamine your past relationships and see all your mistakes through a different lens? High FIdelity is perfect for it.
As of early July 2023, High Fidelity is available on AppleTV+ and Hulu.
STANKO RATING: B+
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