High-voltage, enjoyable, well-acted and thought-provoking

Rating: 9/10 (3 April 2000)

High Fidelity is a wonderful book, and I feared for its transition to the screen. But I need not have worried - this film is a brilliant translation of something that is usually portrayed well only in novels, i.e., the internal dialog between our better and worse selves in a time of crisis. To make a film protagonist's inner life manifest, the filmmakers have used a technique that often screams "contrivance," but in this film, works well: the protagonist's direct speeches to the camera. They genuinely carried me into protagonist Rob's thought processes, self-deceptions, soft spots, and, ultimately, enlightenment.
The music is terrific, and the fast pace of the film was jazzy and fun. Likewise, acting, editing, and dialog all sparkled. My only complaint was that John Cusack looked so scruffy that his physical desirability was somewhat questionable; couldn't they have scrubbed him up just a bit?