High Fidelity
- Directed by: Stephen Frears
- 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
- Genre: Comedies
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Rating:
- Theater Release: 03/31/2000
- Video Release: 09/19/2000
- Run Time: 1hr 54min
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 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.
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.
Production Notes
John Cusack and director Stephen Frears previously worked together on THE GRIFTERS.
Jack Black, who plays Barry, is the lead singer of the band Tenacious D.
Vintage Vinyl, a record store mentioned in the film, is a real store in Evaston, IL, John Cusack's hometown.
Bruce Springsteen makes a surprise cameo in the film as himself.
Roger Ebert (EBERT AND ROEPER AND THE MOVIES) and Desson Howe of the Washington Post named HIGH FIDELITY one of the 10 best films of 2000.
John Cusack was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture--Musical or Comedy.
John Cusack and director Stephen Frears previously worked together on THE GRIFTERS.
Jack Black, who plays Barry, is the lead singer of the band Tenacious D.
Vintage Vinyl, a record store mentioned in the film, is a real store in Evaston, IL, John Cusack's hometown.
Bruce Springsteen makes a surprise cameo in the film as himself.
Roger Ebert (EBERT AND ROEPER AND THE MOVIES) and Desson Howe of the Washington Post named HIGH FIDELITY one of the 10 best films of 2000.
John Cusack was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture--Musical or Comedy.
Reviews
"...HIGH FIDELITY is a solid, entertaining, and often very funny piece of work..." (Premiere)
"...A trenchantly witty and acutely insightful script....[John Cusack gives a] fresh, fearless and ferociously funny lead performance..." (Variety)
"...Fueled by high-octane writing and wickedly comic performances..." (Movieline's Hollywood Life)
"...Cool....Funny and insightful..." -- 4 out of 5 stars (Total Film)
"...[A] witty, exquisitely fine-tuned adaptation of Nick Hornby's 1995 novel....The movie is sparked by more than half a dozen incisive performances..." (New York Times)
"...A ruthlessly truthful and deviously smart comedy....Black's hilariously vitriolic rock snob Barry is especially impressive -- a long overdue breakthrough role for a very deserving talent..." (Box Office)
"...HIGH FIDELITY is a sharp and satisfying romantic comedy about the difficulty of commitment....The film's music is expertly chosen..." (Los Angeles Times)
"...[A] superb adaptation....With wit and attention to record-geek trivia intact..." (Rolling Stone)
"...HIGH FIDELITY is a solid, entertaining, and often very funny piece of work..." (Premiere)
"...A trenchantly witty and acutely insightful script....[John Cusack gives a] fresh, fearless and ferociously funny lead performance..." (Variety)
"...Fueled by high-octane writing and wickedly comic performances..." (Movieline's Hollywood Life)
"...Cool....Funny and insightful..." -- 4 out of 5 stars (Total Film)
"...[A] witty, exquisitely fine-tuned adaptation of Nick Hornby's 1995 novel....The movie is sparked by more than half a dozen incisive performances..." (New York Times)
"...A ruthlessly truthful and deviously smart comedy....Black's hilariously vitriolic rock snob Barry is especially impressive -- a long overdue breakthrough role for a very deserving talent..." (Box Office)
"...HIGH FIDELITY is a sharp and satisfying romantic comedy about the difficulty of commitment....The film's music is expertly chosen..." (Los Angeles Times)
"...[A] superb adaptation....With wit and attention to record-geek trivia intact..." (Rolling Stone)
