High Fidelity (2000)
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Reviews Counted: 149
Fresh: 137 | Rotten: 12
The deft hand of director Stephen Frears and strong performances by the ensemble cast combine to tell an entertaining story with a rock-solid soundtrack.
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Critic Reviews: 41
Fresh: 36 | Rotten: 5
The deft hand of director Stephen Frears and strong performances by the ensemble cast combine to tell an entertaining story with a rock-solid soundtrack.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 188,264
My Rating
Movie Info
A man discovers that there's more to love than a good mixed tape in this dramatic comedy about music and relationships. Rob (John Cusack), an obsessive record collector in his mid-thirties, is struggling to reconcile his adolescent enthusiasm for pop music with adult responsibilities and a more mature outlook. He runs a record shop with his friends Barry (Jack Black) and Dick (Todd Louiso), who are known to drive away customers whose taste in music doesn't match their exacting standards -- which
Mar 31, 2000 Wide
Sep 19, 2000
Buena Vista
Watch It Now
Cast
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John Cusack
Rob Gordon -
Iben Hjejle
Laura -
Jack Black
Barry -
Todd Louiso
Dick -
Lisa Bonet
Marie DeSalle -
Joan Cusack
Liz -
Sara Gilbert
Anaugh -
Joelle Carter
Penny -
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Charlie -
Chris Rehmann
Vince -
Tim Robbins
Ian -
Bruce Springsteen
himself -
Lili Taylor
Sarah -
Natasha Gregson Wagner
Caroline -
Ben Carr
Justin -
-
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All Critics (152) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (141) | Rotten (12) | DVD (23)
If you can put up with all the archness and self-consciousness--there's quite a bit of both--this is an enjoyable romantic comedy.
Top CriticMr. Frears has managed for the most part to retain the velocity of the narrative without sacrificing the psychological coherence of the characters.
I enjoyed the film - twice! I related!
A funny, perceptive movie about pop music, a man's confused passions for records and women, and the lure of perpetual teenagehood.
You're still smiling when the film is over.
Created a doggedly faithful adaptation of Nick Hornby's cult-fave novel.
It's Jack Black who started scoring more film work based on his turn; he's hilarious as a record-store slob who's so contemptuous of the customers that he would just as soon chase them off as listen to their opinions and requests.
One of the touchstone American romantic comedies of the dawning millennium, High Fidelity deserves better than an obligatory Blu-ray that offers little upgrade from the original DVD.
While the second half is a pleasure, it's the first half that's less impressive. I've seen this deadpan narrator with the bottled-up angst so many times that I looked to the lines and the minor characters to see me through.
Easily makes it onto my top 5 John Cusack movies list.
Funny, neurotic, and charming, but not for kids.
In his best Zeroes performance, John Cusack traced Rob's realizations and reconciliations with resonant thoughtfulness and wit - the worst-case scenario of Lloyd Dobler after Diane Court was done with him, resigned to life as an old, sad bastard.
The title lies--this comedy's delights rate strictly on the lo-fi scale, which is indicative of the appealingly laid-back vibe.
High Fidelity propose ainsi une vision réaliste et jamais boursouflée d'une époque où le passage à l'âge adulte aura été repoussé, dans certains cas, de près d'une décennie
Between Cusack's work on co-writing the script for "High Fidelity" and his priceless performance lies the rock 'n' roll heart and soul of a guy for whom audiences deserve to stand in line.
I can't see how anyone would not like this film.
Cusack meets Hornby's British self-consciousness with his own American brand, adding his Cusackian knack for romantic yearning.
Watching them all interact has the feeling of...well...a finely crafted mix tape.
When you see John Cusack being cool in a movie, you want to be him. And even though that's an adolescent's game, I haven't stopped playing it.
A finely tuned piece of work.
Instead of 'happily ever after,' we're left with a new beginning, a possibility of renewal.
Audience Reviews for High Fidelity
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Rob Gordon: ...I agreed that what really matters is what you like, not what you are like... Books, records, films - these things matter. Call me shallow but it's the fuckin' truth, and by this measure I was having one of the best dates of my life.
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- Barry: Oh, that's not obvious enough Rob. How about the Beatles? Or fucking... fucking Beethoven? Side one, Track one of the Fifth Symphony... How can someone with no interest in music own a record store?
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- Rob Gordon: I'm tired of the fantasy, because it doesn't really exist. And there are never really any surprises, and it never really...
- Laura: Delivers?
- Rob Gordon: Delivers. And I'm tired of it. And I'm tired of everything else for that matter. But I don't ever seem to get tired of you, so...
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- Rob Gordon: Now, the making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many do's and don'ts. First of all you're using someone else's poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.
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- Barry: Well, it's sentimental tacky crap. Do we look like the kind of store that sells I Just Called to Say I Love You? Go to the mall.
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- Rob Gordon: What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?
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