Rating: A-
The film High Fidelity, based on British author Nick Hornby’s bestselling novel, is perhaps a good example of the way some film adaptations are not always better than their literary beginnings. Despite this, the film does an admirable job of harnessing Hornby’s humour and quirks into a film that both educates and entertains in all things love, life, and music related.
While the story’s setting is transferred from London to Chicago for the film, it stays true to the book in exploring the rambling (romantic and otherwise) musings of protagonist Rob Gordon, played by John Cusack, as he and his ‘friends’ spend their days at his used-record store. Rob is the movie narrator and he guides the film through his recent dumping by his most recent girlfriend Laura, and his quest in finding out why his previous relationships also failed, all the while essentially paying homage to music lovers and geeks everywhere.
Rob’s enthusiastic employees, Dick and Barry, or as Rob refers to them, “the musical moron twins” play an essential supporting role as they indulge each other in oftentimes useless and elaborate debates about music. Their musical snobbery and endless top five lists would in most cases make for a hideously tedious 90 minutes of film, but strangely it works. My only criticism is that Hornby’s witty and sarcastic conversational prose means that this kind of creative content is almost more enjoyable in book form than in its filmic adaptation.
Jack Black does a fantastic job as Barry, one of his sad sack employees spewing musical facts and comic word-vomit, often stealing scenes from Cusack’s relatable and self concerned Rob. While I realise I have made limited criticisms in regard to Stephen Frears’ film version of High Fidelity, something about the adaptation just seems to miss the menial and trivial magic that Hornby captures in the story’s original form. Regardless, I would definitely recommend a watch if you’re feeling like a bit of '80s British humour reimagined in a 2000 Chicago setting.