It is a performances centric movie

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Well, I don't know. The further one goes back on the IMDb 'Top 250' lists, the quality of pictures that made it seems to get weaker and weaker, and here's an example. "High Fidelity" was at #205 in the year 2000 when it first came out, dropping to #241 the following year. That it doesn't appear again since should not surprise discerning movie watchers. It's entertaining enough if stuff like this is your thing, but really, should a twelve year old that you made out with once for a total of six hours over the course of three days be on your Top Five All-Time Break Up List? By the end of the story, you'll more than realize that Rob Gordon (John Cusack) seriously needs to get a life. But by that time, you'll probably be bored to tears over his incessant barrage on the fourth wall of your viewing screen. I will say I got a kick out of Jack Black's character Barry, the snobbishly arrogant music fan who works at Rob's 'Championship Vinyl' record shop. The same with Dick (Todd Louiso), but come to think of it, do you think they collected a paycheck there? I tend to doubt it, as most of the time, it was only the three of them in the store at any given time. And this is the only time I've ever seen Lisa Bonet as an adult after all those years as Cliff Huxtable's daughter on 'The Cosby Show'. So that was a surprise, and a very good looking one too. The one thing I'll agree with though is that "Books, records, films..., these things matter", otherwise I wouldn't be posting reviews here on IMDb. But as a service to adults over say, the age of thirty, save yourself the frustration of sitting thought this picture. Chances are you lived through the angst of this story yourself already, and who needs to be reminded of all that? And if you have your own Top Five list of All-Time Break Ups, better chuck it before the wife or significant other find it, or you'll be talking to the TV yourself.

Most rom - coms made in Hollywood were either told by a woman or written/thought by one, so we always got a one sided affair that contained emotional swings, unreal scenarios, fantasy endings and plot twists that only strengthen the happy ending; an ideal scenario to a female fantasy regarding love, born out of fairytales. Additionally, when such movies were more realistic and on the mature side, they continued to tell the story through a woman's lenses. High Fidelity is such a poignant chapter in the Hollywood annals of romantic comedies precisely because it breaks the norm - the story of love, sorrow, confliction, friendship and personal psyche is finally told by a male's point of view, and explained in a very realistic scenario of a simple, every day man. Rob Gordon (John Cusack) owns a record store in Chicago, and he is going through a break up. A man who always seems to have everything sorted and in order, he narrates through the whole movie, cataloguing his top 5 break ups up to the recent one, explaining the reason they occurred.Through the course of the film, we see him going through the motions of his break up, the so called five stages of grief, so to speak. Along the way, with his ex - girlfriend Laura (Iben Hjejle) constantly on the forefront of his mind, Rob tries to sort out his feelings, going into deep musical conversations with his employees Barry (Jack Black), an elitist music lover who often connects day events with a "top 5 tracklist", and Dick (Todd Louiso), the sentimental part of the trio. Along the way, Rob goes through a soul search of his own, eventually coming to conclusions about his character, his behaviour, and acceptance that for love and a relationship to survive, you have to take a leap of faith into the unknown.Do not believe that this movie is anything sappy, for it remains a comedy for the bigger portion of its 2 hour course. Black ensembles a perfect character on himself, and you'll definitely laugh with his constant opinion on contemporary and old music alike, especially when he downgrades a poor old customer about it. Cusack is as believable as it gets, bringing forth every emotion possible associated with falling in love, from anger to envy, and nostalgia to care. Above all, it's a very educational film into the male psyche, and will definitely become a favourite of both genders, because it lacks any "fairytale ending". It's a dive into an emotional trip, seen through the eyes of an everyday man, where it is bound to stay with you long after the credits roll.

In one of the last classicly '90s films, High Fidelity, John Cusack stars as a classicly '90s hero: he's single in his thirties, doesn't know why, and wants more than anything to be in a relationship. Nowadays, that type of man doesn't really exist anymore; he got married in 2000.As John reflects on his past relationships, he talks to the audience and exposes them to his work and friends. He works at a record shop, and music is a huge part of his life, so if you can't really identify with him in his romantic troubles or his love of music, you will probably find the movie irritating and boring. As it is, I'm a '90s kid, but a little on the younger side, and I think I might have missed the core demographic of this movie by a few years. I'm not entranced by vinyl, and I tended to see the main character's shortcomings rather than his qualities.While nostalgia is a good reason to pick up this movie, you might also want to watch it for the supporting cast. Jack Black, Catherin Zeta-Jones, Joan Cusack, Tim Robbins, Lisa Bonet, Lili Taylor, Natasha Wagner, and Iben Hjejle all contribute to this colorful film in their own way. I didn't end up liking High Fidelity, but I don't usually like dark comedies or quirky romances.

Now this one was a tough call. Everyone knows how much I love movies with LOVE and HEARTBREAK, but this sort of took me by surprise, and NOT really in a good way. I watched this film first when I was nine, when my dad took me to see it. I probably didn't understand a word and was confused why the main character is hurt so much by a girl.. // What I do remember pondering was how Jack Black was the BEST! and how much I felt bad for the character, Dick (Todd Louiso), who takes so much shyt from him. Viewing it now, as a film student and somewhat a critic, I think he is the best part of the movie. No Joke! We all have those people in our life that make us feel a little awkward and just ask too many god-damn questions. I think he changes the most throughout the film, too. In fact, our main protagonist, Rob (played by John Cusack), does not change at all. That is why I am not being too reviewer-friendly with this entry.The thing is: I am a realist (sort of). I like movies to speak to me; give me some answers to the things that I should already know that I have not fully grasped yet. That, and the fact that I want to relate with something. But this story let me down towards the end. - I swear, that rarely happens.****Seriously, though! It is a universal understanding that "once a cheater, always a cheater", and I do not take it lightly when someone ends up with the wrong person in the end. I wish it finished more truthfully; BETTER CLOSURE FOR THE BROKEN HEARTED. Not the old 90s ending where everything is okay, because it is not. Especially, for the viewer who, chances are, is alone and wonders why they cannot connect with anyone. I can go on forever, ranting about how I was let down in the climax of this film, but I do not want to bore you - and frankly, I do not want to write negatively about any project. **Maybe in ten more years, when I am a completely different person than I am now, I might enjoy the corniness, but as of right now - Too cliché (ONLY IN THE END, THOUGH).I rate this film a 6 out of 10. It honestly hurts me to do this, because I WANTED to like it. Really, I did! I WANTED it to be good, and a ahead of its time. In the end, I think it was nothing but an afternoons delight. — Heart-on!— Michael Mendez