Release Date:
Wednesday, March 29, 2000
High Fidelity should have been a sure thing. It’s based on the classic guy novel; it’s scored with cool, obscure pop tunes; it’s got Catherine Zeta-Jones (for a few minutes anyway). But the filmmakers managed to strip Nick Hornby’s novel of its core guy-ness, turning it into a talky chick flick with a male cast. What you’re left with is John Cusack yapping at the camera for two hours.
Rob Gordon (Cusack) is the owner of Championship Vinyl, an old-school record store in Chicago. After his girlfriend dumps him, he takes stock of a wasted life by picking apart his failed relationships, one by one. When Rob’s not freaking out or walking around in the rain, he’s at the store with employees Dick and Barry. Winningly played by Todd Louiso (Jerry Maguire) and Jack Black (HBO’s Tenacious D), Cusack’s sidekicks all but steal the movie out from under him.
HF does have some great moments, especially one inventive sequence that truly blew us away (I won’t give it away here, but it involves a surprise appearance by a rock icon.) On the whole, though, you’d be far better off blowing your eight bucks on a paperback copy of the novel.
Rob Gordon (Cusack) is the owner of Championship Vinyl, an old-school record store in Chicago. After his girlfriend dumps him, he takes stock of a wasted life by picking apart his failed relationships, one by one. When Rob’s not freaking out or walking around in the rain, he’s at the store with employees Dick and Barry. Winningly played by Todd Louiso (Jerry Maguire) and Jack Black (HBO’s Tenacious D), Cusack’s sidekicks all but steal the movie out from under him.
HF does have some great moments, especially one inventive sequence that truly blew us away (I won’t give it away here, but it involves a surprise appearance by a rock icon.) On the whole, though, you’d be far better off blowing your eight bucks on a paperback copy of the novel.