How many breakups does it take for one man to learn his lesson about relationships? In High Fidelity, the answer is quite a few.
The Plot
Rob Gordon is a bit of a mess. His longtime relationship with Laura is over, and whenever he experiences a life changing moment, Rob reflects on his previous relationships and why they ended.
As Rob travels back through the ghosts of girlfriend’s past, what he learns from his friends and his own self reflection is that the failures he experiences with love are because of him. Rob is the one who caused so many relationships to end. Thanks to this journey of self-acceptance, the cynical self-defeating record store owner comes to terms with his past and knows what he wants in the future.
The Good
John Cusack is phenomenal. Not only is he hilarious, but his approach to Rob is a mixed bag of delights that only John Cusack could pull off. Rob is a difficult character to play. He is so cynical and mopey that it would be easy to hate this man for his stupidity. But Cusack with his nuanced performance allows Rob’s quirks to not overpower the audience into hating him.
Iben Hjejle as Laura is a perfect match to Cusack’s Rob. Not only is she level-headed, has the good job, but she is willing to leave because her relationship with Rob isn’t working. Hjejle also walks a fine line with Laura that never lets the viewer see her in a negative light. She does have an affair with Ian, but that was after Rob had already had an affair and indicated he might want to break up. Hjejle makes Laura likable and admirable. She doesn’t play the typical part of ‘the girlfriend’. The audience likes Laura because Hjejle makes us root for her success more than Rob’s. When the two reconcile, the audience is happy because this is what makes Laura happy and is what Rob wants.
Jack Black and Todd Louiso as Barry and Dick are perfect. They are the sidekicks that are more than sycophants but more like family. Black’s comedic skills and Louiso’s deadpan humor is the precise counter agent to Cusack’s melancholic Rob.
The Bad and the Ugly
The movie focuses a lot on how Rob’s girlfriends always cheat on him. The film does an admirable job of diving into those relationships and explain how no it was Rob’s poor attitude that ended the relationship and caused his girlfriends to look elsewhere. There’s a fine balance in character actions vs. character reasoning, and while the film does explain it, there’s more immediate attention on the cheating girlfriend aspect.
High Fidelity breaks the fourth wall and has John Cusack regularly talking to the camera explaining his thinking. If that’s not your style for a film, then you might want to steer clear of the movie.
Beyond the Film Facts
- In a deleted scene, Beverly D’Angelo shows up at the record store to sell her husband’s vintage record collection.
- Catherine Zeta Jones was only credited in the final credits and not the main cast list.
- The movie is an adaptation of the book by Nick Hornby.
- The movie won an AFI Award for Movie of the Year in 2001.
- Jack Black won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Best Supporting Actor in a comedy.
- The film and many of its stars were nominated for multiple critic awards.
- Sara Gilbert has a small role as Anaugh who starts dating Dick after meeting at Rob’s record store.
- Bruce Springsteen has a cameo in the film as himself.
- Tim Robbins reportedly took the role of Ian because he knew he would get a custom wig out of the job, which as of 2019, he still has and occasionally wears for parties.
- Director and comedy legend Harold Ramis filmed a scene as Rob’s father, but the scene was cut. On the DVD edition you can catch the deleted scene.
- Touchstone Pictures spent a reported $500 thousand to acquire the rights to Nick Hornby’s book.
- A television series was adapted from the book in 2020 with Zoe Kravitz starring in the lead role.
The Streamy Award
{Watch on your phone (1) Watch on a tablet (2) Perfect travel entertainment (3) Best at home with the biggest screen (4)}
High Fidelity gets a “Level 3 Streamy Award”. You don’t need a big screen to enjoy this funny, sentimental, and heartwarming tale of how even the biggest screw up can get their life in order.
It would be perfect for a travel movie to be downloaded and enjoyed at your comfort.
Cast and Crew
- John Cusack as Rob Gordon
- Iben Hjejle as Laura
- Todd Louiso as Dick
- Jack Black as Barry Judd
- Lisa Bonet as Marie de Salle
- Catherine Zeta Jones as Charlie Nicholson
- Joan Cusack as Liz
- Tim Robbins as Ian Raymond
- Lili Taylor as Sarah Kendrew
Directed by Stephen Frears
Produced by Touchstone Pictures / Working Title Films / Dogstar Films
Release Date: March 31, 2000
Budget: $30 million
Box Office Gross
Domestic: $27,287,137
Worldwide Total: $47,126,295
Coming Soon
Next week we dive into Bubble Boy. I hope I don’t regret this choice.