good, but only if you already read the book

Rating: 7/10 (8 July 2000)

High Fidelity was out in Italy yesterday, July the 7th, and I was in at the first showing. The first question to arise is "who turned the book into this script?": it's true the book is a sort of monologue, but turning it into 90 minutes of "speaking into the camera" was the easiest, although worst, way to do the job; anyway, John Cusack adopts a theatrical way of acting and manages to keep your attention up. But the good points of the book are almost all missed, first of all the theories on how to make a cassette, then the anger against Ian, or Charlie's Marco...
In a nutshell, this movie adds very little to the book, and what is added is not worth the effort of adding: why is the singer played by Lisa Bonet? Why is the story set in Chicago, when all the inside locations (Rob's house, Charlie's house) look absolutely British? What's the use of having Bruce Springsteen appear like Humphrey Bogart in Woody Allen's "Play it again Sam"? (not to mention that the Italian dubbing killed the song Bruce is playing in his scene!!!!)
Still, most of the actors do a great job, especially Cusack, the guys in the record shop and Tom Robbins (wonderfully disgusting!).
See it only if you read the book already, it would be like meeting old friends you haven't seen in a while; otherwise, read the book first.