A slice of real life

Rating: Null/10 (3 April 2000)

"High Fidelity" is one of the best films of recent memory. The reason? Simply put, "High Fidelity" doesn't insult the audience. In a way, "High Fidelity" is an anti-movie movie. Its positive qualities can best be explained by discussing what its NOT.
Instead of shouting movie cliches at each other, the characters have conversations that feel real. Characters in the film speak with inflection and phrasing that people actually use in real life. When was the last time you found yourself involved in a case of mistaken identity? How about a run in with a pesky dog? An elaborate slapstick bout with the meal you're cooking? These things only happen in movies and they don't happen in this movie. The film is not built around funny scenes, rather great characters. The plot isn't moved forward by awkward plot points (Act 1: "I know CPR!"; Act 3: "Now I can use my CPR!"). One could complain that the film feels long and boring, but that might be because we're more used to movies about crap blowing up than character-driven plots. There are tons of obscure music references in the movie. I didn't get them all and, more importantly, the movie didn't feel it had to bend over backwards to explain the references to me.
Further, any single one of the characters in "High Fidelity" can easily support his or her own film. We might only see them for a few minutes of screen time, but one gets the feeling that there is so much more about these characters than the movie is letting on. It's nice to encounter the rare movie where we only get a seeming slight glimpse into the lives of the characters--that when a scenes ends the characters continue to live fully developed, multi-faceted lives without our having to directly witness it. For example, Joan Cusack has, at most, eight minutes of screen time. Yet we have a complete understanding of who her character is. Tim Robbins even has less screen time and we know him better than we'll ever know his character in "Mission to Mars."
The movie also manages to overcome two movie no-nos: it's an adaptation of a cult hit novel and the main character constantly breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience.
Dealing with the first, its remarkable how faithful the movie is to the Nick Hornby book. Having fond memories of the novel, I did not leave the theater complaining that the movie left out this or the movie changed that. If you liked the book, see the movie. If you liked the movie, read the book.
The second point, John Cusack addressing the audience isn't at all irritating, as one would expect it to be. On "Malcolm in the Middle" I tire of Malcolm's asides after about fifteen seconds. In "High Fidelity," Cusack spends half the movie talking to us and it works. Maybe it's because John Cusack's likeable; maybe it's because we can relate the reality of what he's saying.
"High Fidelity" leans towards the male side of the relationship game, but regardless of one gender, the viewer can find characters and situations that can be related to one's real life. Highly recommended for viewing and reviewing.