# High Fidelity (2000)

### reviewed by
Mac VerStandig

    High Fidelity
    1 and 1/2 Stars (Out of 4)
    Reviewed by Mac VerStandig
    critic@moviereviews.org
    http://www.moviereviews.org
    March 19, 2000
    USA Release Date - March 31, 2000

---This review will be published to http://www.moviereviews.org/high_fidelity.htm on Friday, March 31, 2000, the film's release date---

Here's the good news: Tim Robbins, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jack Black are excellent in their supporting roles. Here's the bad news: the trio are responsible for 100% of the all-too-rare laughter in the movie. This is a major problem for an already hurting High Fidelity, yet another midlife-crisis saga involving old girlfriends and supposedly deep meditations like `what came first – music or misery?' The movie offers the audience plenty of both.

Rob (John Cusack) is depressed because his love life has proven to be disaster after disaster. His latest girlfriend, Laura (Iben Hjejle), a rather plain-looking blonde woman with a slight British accent, has just walked out and Rob's self-therapy is to reminisce over his top five breakups of all time. Actually, he finds a way to turn everything into a top five list even though the Letterman-style jokes always fail to land.

Rob ultimately reaches the conclusion that in order to move forward, he must resolve the past. (There's a new one!) His voyage from ex-girlfriend to ex-girlfriend quickly becomes as dim and hopelessly misguided as Christopher Columbus' (Look! The West Indies!). But the filmmakers seem totally oblivious to the fact that Rob is uninteresting and sail on into dangerously unentertaining waters.

Fortunately, Jack Black enters as Barry, an overly cynical employee of the record store that Rob owns. Black, a slightly more petite version of Chris Farley with the same energy and roll-in-the-aisles sarcasm, shows up on screen every so often, thus keeping the film from sinking into the pits of Hollywood's absolute worst. Unfortunately, the other record store employee, Dick (Todd Louiso), does little to further the film's humor or plot, proving to be an unnecessary timesuck in an already overlong production.

Tim Robbins plays the new boyfriend of, Laura, Rob's latest breakup. The character, unlike most in the movie, is very well written with a certain Zen quality that makes for a hilarious misfit in the edgy 90's environment. Robbins conquers it well with his usual competence, despite being surrounded by utter incompetence.

Catherine Zeta-Jones portrays Charlie, one of the five great breakups of Rob 's life. Aside from being the most attractive person in this film (not even a close call), Zeta-Jones somehow transforms her poorly written character into a mildly intriguing interlude of Rob's past and present. The other former girlfriends are dull, boring and clichéd (although points should be awarded for making the only other semi-attractive one a film critic).

Where the movie does score big is its soundtrack, although such is the norm for music-related films. The press notes list some 59 tunes. Highlights include a couple of Lou Reed songs performed by Velvet Underground, an Elton John number and Queen's triumphant `We Are the Champions.'

High Fidelity also seems to have some problems creating a realistic setting. Except for one night club scene, it appears that the filmmakers forgot to hire extras for their ordinarily busy background setting of Chicago.

High Fidelity, which I admit not having read, was a successful book probably because it tapped a certain psychological truth much like Salinger did in the landmark The Catcher in the Rye. But Holden Caulfield has never made it to film because the production would get too confusing trying to follow such mental ramblings; trying to track Rob has the same problems causing the audience to get lost and, ultimately, bored.

At one point, Rob ponders `Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?' I don't know. But I do know this: I didn't see this movie because I was miserable that evening, I was miserable that evening because I saw this movie. And if you mistakenly venture out to see this movie, you will quickly learn that misery loves company.

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