Crank It Up!

Rating: Null/10 (2 May 2000)

There are rare occasions when I'm afraid to tell my friends how much I really loved a movie, because I'm afraid if I get too enthusiastic about it, they'll go to the theater with high expectations about it and won't be as pleasantly surprised and enjoy it as much as I did. They'll think, "Well, that wasn't so great. What's HER deal??"
But, you won't do that, right? I can tell you how I really feel about High Fidelity, right?
I LOVED it! I laughed so loudly and for so long, that I was afraid I was going to be disruptive, so I held my hands over my mouth and had to stomp my foot on the floor to release some of that energy of mirth. At various times in my life, I've known every character who populated High Fidelity, and it was fun to spend time with them again. There was so much truth in the film and slice of life irreverence, there were moments when it hurt to watch.

Director Stephen Frears likes to put surprises in his films, and there are some fun twists here. But mostly, this is John Cusack's world. And welcome to it.
In the beginning of High Fidelity, Rob Gordon (Cusack) gets dumped by his girlfriend (Iben Hjejle). This prompts a period of soul searching and direct eye contact with the camera, during which Rob recounts his top five worst break ups. In between his introspective and revealing monologues, we get to see Rob's friends, family, fantasies and former loves.
There are so many fun cameo appearances here. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tim Robbins, Lili Taylor and Sara Gilbert all have small parts. I wondered what in the heck prompted them to do the movie and hope it was Cusack's influence or that they just don't mind spending a few days on a fun flick. There are surprises from an actress playing a rock star and even a real rock star who gives Rob some good advice.
But, my favorite characters are the two guys who work for Rob at his vintage record store. Barry (Jack Black) and Dick (Todd Louiso) provide a sort of Greek chorus for this modern male tragic comedy. And many of the scenes that cracked me up were the three guys marking time at work debating lists of The Top Five... whatever.
The previews for High Fidelity made it look to me like mostly a chick flick, sort of a Say Anything for twenty somethings. But the truth is, this is a guy baring his soul and confessing to the guy flaws that make him unable to remain faithful and commit to a girl he loves. Fidelity isn't just the way a song is reproduced on vinyl, it's also the test of a relationship. The film High Fidelity remains faithful to the book by Nick Hornby. And it all rings true to me.
High Fidelity is rated R for language and some sexuality. The mature crowd enjoys High Fidelity more anyway, because we get all of the obscure music references. High Fidelity earns a four and a half on my scale, 0-5. It cracks the list of my top five movies of the century, with a bullet.