Listless, pointless, and not entertaining

Rating: 2/10 (26 January 2017)

"High Fidelity" may have some comedy, but in its raucous setting and turmoil, that gets lost. The fidelity here applies to faithfulness in relationships as well as the quality of music. The plot of Rob Gordon's five worst breakups (John Cussack) left me flat. Nor do I find much entertainment in these films in which the star or someone else talks to the camera between bits. It seems an easy and cheap way for writers to switch gears without having to challenge their brains for clever writing and creativity.
I suppose some of a young generation who would know some of the music in this film might enjoy it. But, I have no proclivity toward the music. I watched this movie because I wanted to see how John Cussack's comedy was around 2000. This is quite empty. Jack Black is way overboard with his Barry Judd character. But, he's often overboard. Here he's just too loud and crass.
The film rightly has an R rating. I can enjoy or appreciate R films if they have character and substance. But this film has neither. So, its profanity, cavalier portrayal of sex and abortion, and listless lives aren't entertaining. Even though a large number of viewers have rated this film, I suspect its appeal has been to a specific group of people. I don't think it will resonate with much of the population 20 or 30 years later, or beyond.
The best humor is in the ironic title. Rob's character has been of such low or no fidelity in the past. Now he's jealous and hurt, so the tables turn.