High Fidelity is the story of Rob Gordon, a disenchanted thirty-something who has owned his own record store for four years, scratching out a living through his deep love of music. Self-absorbed and moody, Rob covets a life he doesn’t have and lacks the confidence and drive to step outside of himself. His girlfriend Laura (Iben Hjejle), leaves him for another man, and Rob gets to thinking about the women he has dated. Ranking his “top five breakups”, he tracks down the women he believes have made the biggest impact on his life.
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I must admit, I came to High Fidelity with mixed feelings. I had read Nick Hornby’s excellent book and adored it. It seemed unlikely that the film could live up to Hornby’s wry tone and black cynicism.
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I should have known better. The film is tightly scripted, the relocation to Chicago is totally acceptable, and the cinematography makes great use of the locations. Cusack himself, as Rob Gordon, is charismatic and endearing, and easily lifts this film beyond introspection. Gordon’s self-loathing is both real and comical, the supporting cast is excellent and the music references a-plenty make this a deeply enjoyable film.
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The back and forward flips in time, which had the potential to undo the rhythm of the film, are well-observed, and the matching of music to time-period is straight and unforgiving.
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Jack Black’s casting as the moody wannabe musician Barry, one half of the “Musical Moron Twins” (“I can't fire them. I hired these guys for three days a week and they just started showing up every day. That was four years ago”) is perfect.
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Barry’s band is just like every band I’ve ever had the pleasure to be around. In fact, Barry reminds me a little too much of a particular friend, who was, shall we say, a little obsessed.
Interestingly, Black almost turned down the role of Barry, despite the writers (including Cusack) writing the role with him in mind. It’s the interaction between Rob, Barry and Dick (played by Todd Luiso) which I love the most.
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Catherine Zeta Jones is perfect in the role of the self-obsessed Charlie, and Cusack’s sister Joan (one of the most under-rated women in comedy) is stunning as Laura’s best friend Liz.
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Cameos by Bruce Springsteen, Tim Robbins and Lisa Bonet are subtle and work well within the film, which, while clearly a vehicle for Cusack’s charisma, is a brilliant ensemble piece.
