4/22/03
Ah, the movies.
We all know the story. Boy meets girl, boy does something he's not supposed to, boy loses girl. Depending on why she left will generally determine if she may come back. How the boy reacts to the loss is generally the determinant.
High Fidelity is based on a book by the same name written by Nick Hornby. It is about a pseudo disk jockey / record store owner, Rob, played by John Cusack, who gets too complacent with his life while he's with his girlfriend. She leaves him because of it. Initially he is hurt and confused and explains to the audience how this girl really means nothing to him through a ranking system of his top five all time breakups. This ranking system reoccurs throughout the movie with everything from favorite songs to death themes to movies.
Rob realizes he does like her and goes around (in a very Cusackian way) to let her know he can't live without her. The story is very easy to follow and told in a first person format. Cusack does an excellent job of playing the boy-loses-girl role. Of course based on past performances in other roles he should have that skill down.
Although this movie lacks originality of plot (how many different ways can a boy lose a girl?), Stephen Frears, the director, does a phenomenal job of making it refreshing. Rob runs through the same emotions every love lost character goes through. Unlike the standard crying and saying sorry in the same canned, boring way, he explains to everyone why this girl isn't really that big a deal. He goes all the way back to his 7th grade girlfriend (it lasted a couple of hours) and continues through a list of significant others through to present day. One can feel the angst of his character as he travels through all the old relationships and relives the past, realizes the mistakes, and is able to realize the truth of his mot current breakup. In the end everything works out as it should.
Perhaps it is how the end works out as it does that makes this movie so refreshing. Both Rob and Laura (Iben Hjejle) realize they are comfortable with each other. There is no realization that the other is "the one," but rather an acceptance of the reality of love. Describing it on paper won't do it justice. For some reason what sounds bad or may seem bad actually comes out pretty well. Very well considering the result.
All throughout the story, the dynamic that exists between his coworkers, Barry (Jack Black) and Dick (Todd Louiso), helps add to the humor of the story. Somewhat of a wild, rabid, mean yet comical Eastern European meets soft spoken holocaust victim. They have nothing in common except their place of work. In reality a relationship that would probably never work but somehow it seems to work in the story. Despite the somewhat eccentric nature of all the characters in this movie, each is very believable.
There were two main problems with this movie: No nudity/explosions, and Lisa Bonet. I have never been a fan of Lisa Bonet. Had she been replaced as Rob's part time lover with someone more appealing…say Rosie O'Donnell, then the desire for nudity (do you really want ot see Rosie O'Donnell naked?) would be gone. Lisa Bonet would be gone as well. As it stood however, even the lack of two staples of good movies (explosions and nudity) and the insertion of a tad bit of crap (Lisa Bonet)…this is an awesome movie.
Comments...
DB wrote
4-14-2004 @ 20:08:07 (PST)
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I agree, but may I just say I'm suprised . . .
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