High Fidelity
First time I heard of this film, it was described to me by my friend R as a "sleeper".
Hey R - no offense meant, I love you, you’re a brilliant physician, but your taste in movies sucks.
High Fidelity is the movie adaptation of Nick Hornby’s cult novel of the same name. John Cusack stars as Rob Gordon, a thirty-something record store owner and compulsive top-five list maker who suffers from arrested development. After being dumped by his lawyer girlfriend Laura, effectively played by the ice-cool Iben Hjejle, he proceeds to make a list of his top five failures in the relationship department.
Alright, alright. Me writing an unbiased, emotionless review of a Cusack film - not possible.
So in true High Fidelity fashion, let me just present my
Top Five Reasons Why High Fidelity Rocks:
5. The kick-ass music.
The Clash. The Velvet Underground. Stiff Little Fingers. Stereolab. The Kinks.
Heck, any movie that succeeds in making the incredibly sappy Peter Frampton song "Baby I Love Your Way" and the equally mushy Stevie Wonder hit "I Believe (When I Fall in Love with You It Will Be Forever)" cool deserves a viewing.
Admittedly, I was such a sucker for britpop back in college (Oasis, Suede, anyone?), so it should be no surprise that one of my ultimate favorite scenes is when Rob whispers "I will now sell five copies of The Three EPs by The Beta Band" to Dick and then proceeds to play Dry the Rain.
And when everyone inside Championship Vinyl started bobbing their heads to the music - that just about killed me.
I mean, pass me the darn lighter, will you?
If there’s something inside that you wanna say
Say it out loud it’ll be okay
I will be your light
I will be your light
I will be your light
I will be your light
4. The hot girls.
The breathtaking Joelle Carter as Penny Hardwick - Rob’s perky high school girlfriend who wouldn’t put out, the impossibly cute Natasha Gregson Wagner as Caroline Fortis the music reviewer, the sultry Lisa Bonet who plays the role of musician Marie de Salle and does a very sexy renditon of Baby I Love Your Way, the Danish delight - and probably the only girl who can rock ultra-short bangs - Iben Hjejle as Laura . Heck, even Indie queen Lili Taylor shines as Sara Kendrew.
And of course, the goddess herself, Catherine Zeta Jones, who plays Charlie Nicholson, Rob’s college girlfriend - the yardstick by which every other girl who came after her was measured.
It was as if the producers saw the need to lure guys into the theater and tried to do just that by casting these eye candies.
3. The musical moron twins.
Ok, so Jack Black as Barry has all the good lines and he’s everybody’s favorite, but I think Tod Louiso is the real gem here. Unlike Black who has a tendency to be annoying, Louiso does not overact, and fits the role of the shy, weird Dick to a T.
Oh, and move on Jeremy Piven, their chemistry with Cusack is just unbelievable.
2. The wit.
"Should I bolt every time I get that feeling in my gut when I meet someone new? Well, I’ve been listening to my gut since I was 14 years old, and frankly speaking, I’ve come to the conclusion that my guts have shit for brains."
Check out this site for more.
Interestingly enough, Jack Black delivers the best line in the film, which goes:
"Rob, top five musical crimes perpetuated by Stevie Wonder in the ’80s and ’90s? Go.
Sub-question: is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins?
Is it better to burn out than to fade away?"
1. The John Cusack
John Cusack is probably the only Hollywood actor who can make a dorky asshole character seem like a sweet, adorable guy who just doesn’t know what he wants. In true loser fashion, Rob slacks off, smokes like he has a deathwish, cheats on his girlfriends just for the heck of it, but we cheer him on anyway.
That’s the Cusack effect for you.
Oh, and he talks to the viewers in, like, 50% of the movie, so if just like me you’re harboring an unhealthy JC obsession, this film is a real treat.
Plus, I think Cusack looks his best here. I mean, sure, he was incredibly dashing in Grosse Point Blank as the fresh-faced hitman who goes home for his high school reunion, but IMO, JC in High Fidelity takes the cake. He’s scruffy, his hair’s a mess all throughout, he’s wearing a - in the words of Black - "Cosby sweater" in one scene for crying out loud, but my god, he’s still too darn cute.
Of course, the movie has its flaws - what movie doesn’t - but I won’t get into that.
The important thing is, in the end, everything makes sense. And you’re smiling when the closing credits roll.
That must be something.
