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High Fidelity

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High Fidelity (2000)

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91 %
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Reviews Counted: 143

Fresh: 130

Rotten:13

Average Rating: 7.6/10

Consensus: 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.

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: A male-perspective confessional about being an adult--but not acting like one--HIGH FIDELITY is the story of Rob Gordon (John Cusack), the thirtysomething owner of Championship Vinyl, a record... A male-perspective confessional about being an adult--but not acting like one--HIGH FIDELITY is the story of Rob Gordon (John Cusack), the thirtysomething owner of Championship Vinyl, a record store in the suburbs of Chicago. Rob is in the throes of a difficult breakup with his girlfriend Laura (Iben Hjejle), and he creates a list of the ex-girlfriends who qualify as his Top Five Worst Breakups, then tracks them down one by one. At work, Rob's relationship with the geeky guys who help run the store, Dick (Todd Louiso) and Barry (Jack Black), is hilarious and juvenile: The three espouse encyclopedic knowledge of records while making lists of everything from the Top Five Side 1s and Track 1s to the Top Five Songs About Death. Director Stephen Frears works from a script based on the 1996 Nick Hornby novel of the same title, adapted by D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, Cusack, and Scott Rosenberg. Frears integrates Cusack's signature goofball antics and gives him a series of talk-to-the-camera, Ferris Bueller-style monologues that Cusack delivers with personal ingenuity. [More]

Starring: John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black, Lisa Bonet

Starring: John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black, Lisa Bonet, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, Todd Louiso, Lili Taylor, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Beverly D'Angelo, Sara Gilbert, Drake Bell

Director: Stephen Frears

Director: Stephen Frears
Screenwriter: D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack, Scott Rosenberg
Producer: Tim Bevan, Rudd Simmons
Composer: Carter Burwell

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Release:

Sep 19, 2000

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • High Fidelity
  • From the guys who brought you GROSSE POINTE BLANK comes the absolutely hilarious HIGH FIDELITY. John Cusack (BEING JOHN MALKOVICH) stars as Rob Gordon, the owner of a semi-failing record store located on one of the back streets of Chicago. He sells music the old-fashioned way -- on vinyl, with two wacky clerks, the hysterically funny rock snob Barry (Jack Black) and the more quietly opinionated underachiever Dick (Todd Luiso). But Rob's business isn't the only thing in his life that's floundering -- his needle skips the love groove when his longtime girlfriend Laura (newcomer Iben Hjejle) walks out on him. And this forces him to examine his past failed attempts at romance the only way he knows how! For a rocking fun time, give HIGH FIDELITY a spin. It's sure to make your all-time top five list for comedies -- with a bullet.
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for High Fidelity

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    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.

    Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
    04/14/09
    Cole Smithey
    ColeSmithey.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    I can’t see how anyone would not like this film.

    Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
    08/07/08
    Bob Grimm
    Sacramento News & Review

    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.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    02/05/08
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Cusack meets Hornby's British self-consciousness with his own American brand, adding his Cusackian knack for romantic yearning.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    09/17/07
    Rob Gonsalves
    eFilmCritic.com

    Watching them all interact has the feeling of...well...a finely crafted mix tape.

    Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
    07/14/07
    Joe Lozito
    Big Picture Big Sound

    Mr. Frears has managed for the most part to retain the velocity of the narrative without sacrificing the psychological coherence of the characters.

    Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
    04/27/07
    Andrew Sarris
    New York Observer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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.

    Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
    05/26/06
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Combustible Celluloid

    I enjoyed the film - twice! I related!

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    02/09/06
    Derek Adams
    Time Out

    A finely tuned piece of work.

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Merle Bertrand
    Film Threat

    Instead of 'happily ever after,' we're left with a new beginning, a possibility of renewal.

    Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
    12/06/04
    Jeffrey Overstreet
    Looking Closer

    ...rolls in stretches, but might have rocked if Frears could have gotten Cusack to turn down the volume.

    Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
    02/13/04
    Thomas Delapa
    Boulder Weekly

    Cynical and amusing.

    Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
    05/22/03
    Eugene Novikov
    Film Blather

    Like a wonderful piece of bubble gum that explodes with a rush of flavor then slowly fades away, High Fidelity delivers bright jolts of entertainment that never coalesce into anything substantial.

    Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Leonard Schwarz
    Palo Alto Weekly

    A humorously philosophical and pop-music-soaked study of the romantic relationship as seen through the eyes of a music geek.

    Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
    02/08/03
    John R. McEwen
    Film Quips Online

    This searingly comical film breathes fresh life into the romantic comedy genre.

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/08/02
    Merle Bertrand
    Film Threat

    Deftly directed by Stephen Frears the film boasts both a great soundtrack and a wonderful cast. Definitely one of the best comedies of the year!

    Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
    10/30/02
    Richard Cotton
    ViewLondon

    This is Cusack's best role to date, and he makes the most of it.

    Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
    10/21/02
    Jean Lowerison
    San Diego Metropolitan

    This is a romantic comedy with thorns, a farce with heart, a love letter with guts. It is the kind of movie you can love for a long, long time.

    Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
    10/15/02
    Margaret A. McGurk
    Cincinnati Enquirer

    High Fidelity would still make my Top Five list of movies about store clerks, higher than Allan Moyle's Empire Records, but lower than Kevin Smith's Clerks.

    Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
    09/10/02
    Kevin N. Laforest
    Montreal Film Journal
     
     
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