This is the kind of film I adore. A tale of human experience, in this case relationships. Real relationships, not fairytales. Told by a list-making, fourth-wall breaking, cynical, flawed, and relatable John Cusack. What is there not for me to love?

Okay, so I didn't give it 5 stars. I thought it was great, but not excellent. I enjoyed Rob's story and his character progression but nothing astounded me about the film. I definitely think it's one I'll revisit though, especially to look further into it as a study of relationships and what they mean to us as well as what they tell us about ourselves e.g. Laura really didn't seem that great (something different from the in-your-face MPDG) so what made him fight so hard for her?

John Cusack seemed like a great choice for the part and it was nice to see his sister Joan make an appearance, too.

John Cusack routinely breaks the fourth wall in his portrayal of a sad sack record store owner going through a flustering mid-life crisis. Eccentric and clever at times, he's also a bit of a selfish, standoffish prick and that duality, combined with a stern lack of motivation to do something with himself, has long wreaked havoc with his love life.

Very funny at moments and stretched thin at others, it's a wordy dissection of Generation X's slow, sad loss of touch with their adolescence and the lies we tell to ourselves and our loved ones. Though angled and multi-dimensional, Cusack's character never turns the corner into someone worth rooting for, so his chase after a nearly-lost girlfriend lacks teeth. Good for some bright laughs, it lacks much depth beyond the satisfying validation of identifying a few cherished LPs from your own collection in the background.

It’s good, it’s funny, it’s clever. I love how this takes subtle jabs at the rockist mentality and pretentious gatekeeping that happens in some corners of music fandom. It’s a little predictable though, and like a lot of comedies from this time period it suffers from bland visuals.

7/10

It’s pretty wild watching this today just in the way that they let John Cusack’s Rob Gordon character be so unlikable and barely learn anything by the end. It’s actually refreshing in comparison.

Top 5 songs about death, go!

It's a very good film that is starting to show its age sadly.

Solid script, clever execution, good acting, nice ending.


7.5/10

“What came first, the music or the misery?” A brilliant satirical comedy, High Fidelity is full of laughs. After his latest girlfriend leaves him, record store owner Rob Gordon recounts his top 5 breakups and decides to look up them up in order to get closure. John Cusack, Jack Black, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Lisa Bonet lead the cast and give really good performances; especially Cusack, who does an incredible job at delivering the dry humor and at breaking the fourth wall. And the record store motif is used extremely well, allowing for a lot of interesting discussions about music. Additionally, the soundtrack is quite impressive and complements the tone of the material. Tremendously fun, High Fidelity is a smart and savvy film with some poignant commentary about relationships.

Love this movie. My first time ever seeing Jack Black. My favorite moment is at the end (upcoming possible spoiler) when he busts out singing and I am like WTF! This dude can sing. Never knew about Tenacious D, but now I do. Other things about the movie are great too. Sorry so vague. lol

>"But I have to say my all-time favorite book is Johnny Cash's autobiography "Cash" by Johnny Cash."

This is one of those where I wish I had seen it when it came out. I love the aesthetic and that it takes place in a record store, and the cast is pretty funny. Overall a fun flick, I just didn't enjoy the storytelling as much as I would've back in the day.