A nice, smooth ride

Rating: 10/10 (25 November 2000)

This is a really funny, well-made, great film. They marketed this thing very poorly - when I first saw the trailer in the theaters I thought it would be one movie I would be happy to miss. A friend of mine snuck it into our selection of movie rentals one night, and I was very pleasantly surprised!
I generally like John Cusack, as I am gradually discovering. I thought "Gross Point Blank" was a nice flick, and "Being John Malkovich" just blew me away. This strangely finds it's place in between the two. I don't know why, but the rhythm of the film is nice, it has many randomly funny parts, it's believable & realistic while being completely outrageous and always enjoyable. The supporting cast is great, Jack Black stays extremely funny without getting as annoying as the character he plays (if teetering on the edge).
The movie has two central themes: relationships and music. John Cusack is wonderful as he hashes the two out in his mind, for the viewing audience to see and hear. I admit, this is a risky film. It could have easily gone bad - it's a great script that needed the perfect lead and a nice cast to really pull it off. It does.
A previous comment mistakenly advises the reader that "Empire Records" is a good alternative to this film. It would probably be best to disregard that suggestion completely. Unlike Empire Records, with which this movie has about two thin cosmetic similarities, "High Fidelity" doesn't come off like a bad sitcom with stereotypical, marketing-induced plots and characters. This is one of John Cusack's best movies indeed! it is smart and simple, has a certain subtle charm, a great cast and a witty and relatable script. Enjoy it!