Review of High Fidelity (2000) by Matt G — 19 Aug 2011

'High Fidelity' is an interesting early 2000s relic. During my weekly library shopping (in which I pick out ten movies I've never seen, have a few friends over, and watch as many as we can until we fall asleep), I stumbled upon a movie called 'High Fidelity', which wasn't that interesting to me until I saw that John Cusack was in it.

I can proudly say that I am very pleased that I watched it because it is a very charming piece of work. Director Stephen Frears ('Prick Up Your Ears') chose a unique style of story telling, much like Woody Allen's 'Whatever Works', the main character takes moments in the film to directly talk to the camera to basically branch out his problems.

I find that to be an interesting technique that is really enjoyable and relatable. The fact that it takes place in an old record store makes the film great simply because we are brought back to all of the old music that we had growing up with, but still including modern humor to please the newer filmgoers.

As a lifelong fan of John Cusack, he is at the top of his game as usual. I believe Cusack is the sole being that can perfectly play a slacker (multiple times), and aside from looking exactly like Alan Rickman in 'Dogma', he gives a magnificent performance.

The funniest thing about it is the film revolving around Cusack's "top 5" ex-girlfriends, and I hope I'm not the only one being slightly uncomfortable that his sister Joan Cusack plays one of them.

Aside from that creepy aspect, we have a hell of a cast playing these women. Even though it is a pretty great film, I was disappointed at some moments, primarily that some scenes have the tendency to be prolonged as they attempt to entertain us with unnecessary ad-lib.

Although that does have quite a bit of a big effect on the overall outcome of the film (and my rating), I still found this to be an extremely charming and effective film. Even though the laughs aren't too memorable, that is made up from a witty script, stylish direction, as well as a top-notch performance from John Cusack, making 'High Fidelity' a solid film, that I'll definitely revisit in the future.