Imagination is not reality!

Rating: 10/10 (17 June 2003)

'Variety is the spice of life'. 'Familiarity breads contempt'. 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' and last but by no means least 'Assumption is the mother of all f*%@ ups!'. For this movie - see all of the above.
The film lobotomises the average single thirty something male's relationship dilemma. Through historic self-analysis Rob (Cusack) surgically probes in to the realms of 'commitment', 'dependent responsibility' and the fear of loosing the 'freedom of lustful choice', finally emerging from the 'past relationship exorcism operating theatre' content in the knowledge that he is not terminally condemned. High Fidelity is not a movie about love, nor it is a movie about trying to find love, it is instead a movie about the male's perception of love and the frustrations associated with their female partner's interpretation of the same. Ultimately we learn that love is not an emotion requiring identical thought patterns. Instead we see that love is sexless, born out of mutual dependency, personal differences, forgiveness and true friendship. No more vividly is this displayed than in Rob's loving charity towards Barry and Dick. The fantasy world of casual sex has its place too, but here lust betrays love, socially flawed by it's own shortermism and existing optimally in our imaginations. Consequently lust is flawed by the complications of reality. Ladies - see this film, please - if for no reason other than to understand (and hopefully forgive, or even learn to love?)the basic flaws inherent in the decision making process of the male species!