High Fidelity

Plot synopsis:
Rob Gordon (John Cusack) is a self-confessed music loving everyman with a poor understanding of women. After getting dumped by his latest girlfriend, Laura (Iben Hjejle), he decides to look up some of his old partners in an attempt to figure out where he keeps going wrong in his relationships.
He spends his days at his record store, Championship Vinyl, where he holds court over the customers that drift through. Helping Rob in his task of musical elitism are Dick (Todd Louiso) and Barry (Jack Black), the "musical moron twins," as he refers to them. Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of all things musical, they compile "top five" lists for every conceivable occasion, openly mock the tastes of their customers, and, every so often, sell a few records.
Rob and the staff have a strong dislike for two shoplifting skateboarder teenagers, Vince (Chris Rehmann) and Justin (Ben Carr). One day, he listens to a recording that they made and offers them a record deal, starting his own label called Top 5 Records. During his off hours, he pines for Laura and does his best to win her back.
Rob soon hears that Laura's father, who liked Rob, has died, and attends his funeral with Laura. Shortly after the reception, Rob realizes he never committed to Laura and always had one foot out the door. This made him realize he neglected his own future in the process. Afterward, he and Laura move back in together again. Rob meets a music columnist whom he soon develops a crush on, but while making a mixtape for her, wonders if he'll always just be jumping rock to rock. Laura meets with Rob in a bar where he explains how other girls are just fantasies, and while Laura is a reality, he never gets tired of her. He then proposes marriage to her, and she thanks him for asking. Later, she organizes an evening where he has the opportunity to revisit a love of his youth: dee-jaying. It is also a celebration of the recently released single by the two delinquents, where Barry's band plays "Let's Get It On". Surprised that Barry's band is not a disaster, Rob holds Laura, and they both sway to the music. Rob makes a mixtape for Laura, feeling like he's finally learned how to make her happy.

Tags: comedy, dramatic, flashback, psychedelic, humor, entertaining

Review:
When I heard John Cusack was adapting it and moving the action to Chicago(from London in the novel), I was a little worried, because I worry about changing things during adaptations for arbitrary reasons, but I needn't have worried; though I have a few quibbles, which we'll get to later, Cusack and Co. have done a fine job adapting the novel.First off, I've read one comment which claims it stereotypes "music geeks." The type of people Hornby, Cusack, his co-writers(D.V. DeVincentis and Steve Pink, who also co-wrote GROSSE POINT BLANK, and Scott Rosenberg), and director Stephen Frears are portraying is a very particular type of "music geek"; the type who is a snob about music.
Love, life, relationships, music, movies, hobbies, jobs, ticks, ups, downs - everything is here.It's to John Cusack's credit that he took a "classic" contemporary novel set in London and transposed it to Chicago - and it works just as well (if not better) than the British version.
What we lose here are the abbreviations such as "mate," "cos" and other British expressions - but essentially the story is exactly the same, as is the character of Rob Gordon.Cusack proves his worth here and there isn't a single bad performance in this film, except perhaps for the love interest who tries to sport an American accent and it's quite uneven at times.Jack Black is fantastically funny and reveals once again why he's leagues ahead of other obese comedians like Chris Farley who merely relied on OTT acts and weight for laughs - Black, like John Candy, actually acts and so far in his career has turned out some really good films which is more than can be said for many of his competitors.The script has some very funny one-liners and movie/music in-jokes (I love the "Evil Dead" bit - "Because it's so funny, and violent, it's got a kick-a$$ soundtrack...and it's so violent!").But at the end of the day what really haunted me (so to speak) about this movie long after I had seen it was the fact that it DOES stay with you ages after the credits have stopped rolling.
It's poignant and really spot-on in many regards - add that to a film full of flawless performances and great direction and clever ideas and one-liners and jokes, and you've got a top-notch comedic masterpiece that places "High Fidelity" in the top ranks of American (and British!) comedy - "with," as the DVD back cover says, "a bullet." Highly recommended.
The deeper the affection you feel for them, the more you'll enjoy the movie.Personally, I think John Cusack's character is one of the most engaging in the comedy genre of the last decade.
Dick is a quiet music geek in the classic sense of the word, while Barry is a cruel, ridiculous elitist.In the end, High Fidelity is a wonderful, terribly funny movie with a lot of great stuff in it.
You don't need to be a John Cusack fan to enjoy High Fidelity, nor do you need an overt appreciation of music, the film is a highly humorous, poignant and informative look at men, relationships and love.Cusack is at his 'Grosse Point Blank' best here, investing in his character a realism that at times is so hilarious you will need to see the movie again to hear the lines you missed the first time because you were laughing too much.
"High Fidelity" is perfect if you already had a broken heart, and if you tried to heal it with some pop songs.John Cusack is not acting - he REALLY IS Rob Fleming (Rob Gordon in the movie).
Tim Robbins, as the world-music-fan, is a nice surprise, and Joan Cusack is always funny.It looks like everyone had a lot of fun making this movie, and the result is a nice and funny and full of emotions motion picture, to see again and again and again to remember how music and love can help each other..
HIGH FIDELITY (2000) **** John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black, Todd Louiso, Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones (unbilled), Lili Taylor, Joan Cusack, Shannon Stillo, Tim Robbins, Joelle Carter, Natasha Gregson Wagner.John Cusack is my favorite contemporary actor for many reasons, which due to time and space will not permit me to go into lavish detail, but it's basically down to a simple formula for me, that he continues to full tilt in his latest variation of the good hearted, somewhat sarcastic anti-hero with a heart of gold: Fearless Fragile Funny.Based on the cult best selling international novel by Great Britain's Nick Hornby the story is transplanted from modern day London to modern day Chicago focusing all its angst and comic philosophies in its character, Rob Gordon (Cusack in one of his finest performances, who also co-wrote and produced the film),the owner of a vintage LP album shop, `Championship Vinyl', who is having a pre-mid-life crisis in his life: namely his latest girlfriend, Laura (the fetching Danish actress Hjejle in her first American role), a lawyer, has just dumped him and the fact that he may have to grow up or come to terms with his existence of being a den mother to his yin and yang clerks, Barry (Black, riotous) and Dick (Louiso, best known as the au pair from `Jerry Maguire', is pitch perfect in his humorous approach), the former a loudmouth know it all and the latter a soft-spoken lover of all music, both the book ends to Rob's equally passionate take on pop music and how it has somehow manifested itself to his  being ; the end all to end all.`What came first.the misery or the music?' Rob asks at the very beginning of the film and it is here that Rob decides to investigate just how he is at fault to the 5 all time greatest break ups in his love life a la The Top 5s he and his co-horts in crime habitually categorize all things pertinent to music.
What follows is a laugh-filled introspection of the heart on its sleeve and its tongue sharply in cheek as to Rob's quest of finding all his faults and foibles in hope of wooing back his recent romantic dismissal that includes 5 prototypes of all heterosexual men: The First Kiss/Crush; The Adolescent Urgency/Loss of Virginity, The Woman Out of His League; The Rebound Best Friend/Possible Soul Mate and finally, The One True Love He Isn't Even Aware Of.The approach may seem old hat and gimmicky (Cusack breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly into the camera) yet it isn't intrusive but enlightening into what the hero is really thinking and more importantly why.
His nonchalant, casual way of speaking and his slow burns are priceless (he finally takes out his frustrations on Laura's new beau, the unctious sensitive pony-tailed Ian played by Cusack's best bud and former co-star of `The Sure Thing' and the cult classic `Tapeheads', Robbins, in the film's funniest fantasy sequence of Rob, Barry and Dick pummeling Ian to death).
Cusack's constant streak of the smart alecky good guy continues from the quintessential portrait of Lloyd Dobler, kickboxing student of the affairs of the heart in the classic `Say Anything.' and the previous purveyor of romantic comedy, Walter `Gib' Gibson in the update of `It Happened One Night', `The Sure Thing' to his hit-man Martin Blank pondering his high school reunion with dread in the black comedy  `Grosse Pointe Blank' (reunited here with his screenwriters/partners in crime D.V. De Vincentis, Steve Pink and Scott Rosenberg).The women portraying Rob's Girlfriends of Christmas Past , so to speak, are exemplery especially Taylor (another Cusack repertoire player, who played his best gal pal/voice of reason in `Anything.') as Sarah the rebound fling and Zeta-Jones as Charlie (showing some nice moments of sublime sardonicism), the sexy babe completely out of his element).
Sister Joan provides some comic bile as well as mutual friend to Laura and Rob. But frankly it's a guy's flick and thanks to the boisterous Black (late of HBO's comedy series `Tenacious D' and a score of films as diverse as `Mars Attacks!' and last year's co-starring with Cusack in  `Cradle Will Rock') and geeky, quiet Louiso adding some color especially in their scenes together debating their varied choices of musical tastes.Directed by Stephen Frears, a fellow Englishman who appears to know the American arcana striking a responsive chord (he put Cusack through the paces in the neo-noir classic `The Grifters' a decade ago) allows his characters time to pace themselves from one setup to the next and skillfully keeps the smart patter gleaned from the book alive on screen.Easily one of the year's funniest films and finally  a film I whole heartedly recommend in what seemed to be dearth of mediocrity thus far in the new millennium.
Rob Gordon (John Cusack), a record store owner and compulsive list maker, recounts his top five breakups, including the one in progress.Top five things that are great about this movie: Five, Tim Robbins' hair.
Honorable mention, Lisa Bonet not being completely annoying and almost actually likable.Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars and wrote, "Watching High Fidelity, I had the feeling I could walk out of the theater and meet the same people on the street — and want to, which is an even higher compliment"..
It's obviously great fun for those with certain musical tastes, seeing as it features references to important alternative acts such as The Beta Band and Stereolab, amongst many others.But what elevates the film higher is, like the book, it has three dimensional characters that are believable and it has a strong romantic-comedy aspect.
The rest of the cast is very good too with Jack Black playing the ultimate obnoxious music snob, Tim Robbins is equally amusing as the even-tempered neighbour Ian, who briefly has a relationship with Laura much to Rob's horror, while Lisa Bonet and Catherine Zeta-Jones are also on hand as other women who come into Rob's orbit.Director Stephen Frears and producer Cusack have to be given a lot of credit for adapting Hornby's book to the screen so seamlessly.
He is utterly believable, and yet a likeable character for all his faults.The direction is good, too, though I personally find the "is this a day-dream or is it real?" scenes a little annoying.This movie is definitely worth a rental or two, and for you film elitists out there, you can see Jack Black at his pre-Shallow Hal best..
He runs a record store with his friends Dick (Todd Louiso) and Barry (Jack Black), spending most of his days engaging in meaningless conversations about which musicians are better than other musicians, what records have a long-lasting impact over others, and so on, almost as if their musical elitism predated the kind you see in the same place where this film is set, Chicago.Rob has just gone through a breakup with Laura (Iben Hjejle), a woman he clearly cared about but had no idea how to act on his feelings in a way that pleased her in a significant manner.
Depressed and distraught, finally questioning what role he had to play in his breakups, Rob cycles through five of his old romantic partners to see if there's some sort of consistent screw-up he is faced with in all his relationships.High Fidelity works instantly because of Cusack's character and character acting abilities.
There is a lot of Banter about Musical Taste and Snobbish Cynicism about those who "don't get it".But there is also Another Side to this Vinyl Obsessed Opus and that is the Romantic Part that Segues Back and Forth with the Hipster Trivia and it is the Jerky Relationships and Nervous Uncomfortableness that John Cusack Suffers Anytime He is out of the Record Store and out of His Element, and that is Reflected by the Elements Wrath of Rain that He Encounters.It is an Offbeat and Fresh Movie with Limited Appeal but has found a Cult Audience (no surprise) and may be just Sweet Enough for a Date Movie if the the Girl in Attendance has an Inkling of Cultural Awareness, Pop Music History, and a Tolerance for that Most Male of Things, an Immature, Irresponsible, Obsessive Attachment and Unhealthy Devotion to Hobbies..
One of the things that was really good about High Fidelity was the way the `top five girlfriends' premise was complemented by Rob Gordon (Cusack) and his music geek friends coming up with countless top five lists.
Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?"Stephen Frear's High Fidelity breaks the fourth wall from the very opening scene as Rob Gordon (John Cusack) begins sharing with us about his top 5 breakups right at the time his girlfriend, Laura (Iben Hjejle), is moving out of his apartment and leaving him.
Rob is a vintage record store owner and his two employees, Dick (Todd Louiso) and Barry (Jack Black), are as much music snobs as he is, and they too enjoy making lists of their favorite things usually involving music.
Frears has directed some great films (The Queen, Philomena), along with not so good ones that feel like direct to TV movies, but High Fidelity belongs in his top list of best films.
Since this film has an emphasis on lists, let's do a Top 5 reasons to never watch "High Fidelity":5) It's not at the level of "Silent Night, Deadly Night 2" 4) Jack Black's worst movie (and that's saying something) 3) Tim Robbins's worst movie 2) The worst movie involving any Cusack 1) Life is short.
I give this movie a whopping 1 star.The pace and the editing were horrible.I couldnt care about any of these boring characters(especially John Cusack's).The female lead was a horrible actress.We wont be seeing more of her I can assure you.The only redeeming quality was Jack Black....and he was underused..
Anyway, John Cusack (starring for the fifth time in a movie alongside Tim Robbins, I believe) is great once again as the abandoned lover.
OK, it's probably not a good move to go and see films when they're based on books written by people you can't stand, such as the annoyingly pretentious Nick Hornby, that most detestable of creatures - a 'trendy' football fan.John Cusack was OK I suppose, other than the lists which annoyed me a lot, the music wasn't bad - but I wouldn't go and see it based on that alone.One to miss..
The finale is very satisfying, making the whole story worthwhile.To sum things up, it's a very good movie, full of great characters and actors which, through a great plot and way of communication, manages to provide a quality time for its viewers.
The film also has a fantastic supporting cast, including Jack Black in his breakout role, Joan Cusack in some great scenes opposite her brother, Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Tim Robbins among others.
And the excellent performances from John Cusack (co-writer), Jack Black, and the weird little guy who plays 'Dick' make the funny bits even funnier.
The film is excellently cast, but I don't think there is another actor in existence that could have played Rob Gordon like John Cusack does.
Great performances by Jack Black as Barry and John Cusack as Rob. If you have not seen this movie BUY!!!
This movie ranks very high on my scale, it has romance, comedy and a bit of sadness melted together.The best part is that it is the actors who make this work, not some kind of computer generated visual effects or thought-to-be-meaningful music.John Cusack was the perfect choice for this film, this makes him one of my favourite actors.
The story of record store owner Rob Gordon (John Cusack) and his various relationships doesn't really add much to the cinematic world.Some of the more interesting parts came from Jack Black, as Rob's co-owner Barry, and from Tim Robbins as Ian, a obnoxious man "...with a Steven Seagal ponytail." But like I said, the movie didn't really seem to offer anything new.
We are introduced to a variety of wonderful actors (Jack Black, Tod Louiso, Tim Robbins) and actresses (Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joan Cusac) along his journey, and we see the character of Rob undergoing a natural metamorphosis of coming to terms with himself, casting aside his dead-end single life, and becoming a mature individual with realistic goals and direction.This movie is simply one of the most natural movies I've seen.
Sometimes, one of these films just stands out...High Fidelity is a comedy about Rob Gordan (John Cusack), a record store owner/operator who has recently split with his girlfriend Laura (Iben Hjejle) and now is trying to get it all together.
High Fidelity at last gives us a love story from a guy's perspective, complete with angst, compassion, self pity and sexRob Gordon (the ever dependable John Cusack) is a record store owner and a compulsive "list" maker.
It's an entertaining, funny and sometimes insightful look at life as we know it; a good story with plenty of music, some laughs, and engaging performances, which make this film more than worth seeing, especially for fans of John Cusack, and for anyone who wants some insight into the influence popular music has indeed made upon the world in which we live.
It may not be a feel good movie, but High Fidelity brings in great laughs and stellar performances, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good comedy drama.A record store owner must try and reconcile his love of music with real life responsibilities.
I loved how this was filmed so that John Cusack (Rob) talks to the camera/audience while going about his messed up life as that of a record store owner and compulsive list maker.
It's not aged, it's timelessly brilliant.This movie is wonderful, John Cusack is wonderful, even Jack Black is wonderful in this and a lot of it comes from the source material, the book by Nick Hornby is incredible and it translates to film really well.