HIGH FIDELITY
A Touchstone release 

review by Joseph B. Mauceri

Yeh, So what if John Cusak has made the same movie for 20 years?

SYNOPSIS: Dealing with the aftereffects of his current girlfriend, Rob Gordon annualizes his "Top Five" relationships in hopes of gaining a perspective on just what is wrong with his life. His personal quest for romantic fulfillment is set against the backdrop of an eclectic music shop located in a Chicago suburb, which is inhabited by some colorful characters.

REVIEW: If you know the lingo and the music, HIGH FIDELITY delivers an entertaining look at the life of a slacker that has an epiphany, which leads him down a a path of exploration to adulthood. The metaphors are expressed through the narrator's/main character's point of reference - music and pop culture. While being somewhat entertaining, these same elements can alienate
 an audience that lacks the vernacular to grasp the humor, satire or music.

To a certain extent, HIGH FIDELITY feels like a sequel to Cusack's "Say Anything," due to his performance and subject matter. Cusack's character spends the majority of screen time attempting to enlighten the audiences to his innermost thoughts. As a result, the film has more than its fair share of flashbacks.

Cusack wears a multitude of hats on the film, which probably accounts for the variety and quality of talent in supporting roles. Tim Robbins plays a wacky Steven Segal-like guru, who steals his girlfriend. Even his sister, Joan, shows up doing the zany-female stick she does so well. Delightfully entertaining, as well as quite surprising, is the future Mrs. Michael Douglas
Catherine Zeta-Jones, as the energetic, but shallow socialite, Charlie.

Even with a talented cast and energetic performances, HIGH FIDELITY suffers from slow pacing. Director Stephen Frears captures moments, but his direction, as well as editing, is flat. The film lumbers along even when music is used as a backdrop to punctuate a scene or create atmosphere. Frears distances the audience by not allowing us to fully embrace Cusack's
character. However, HIGH FIDELITY is not cold narrative either. The characters are not that complex, which might allow the audience to be drawn in from the point of view of a character study.

HIGH FIDELITY is a modern "poor-man's" Dickens-like tale, in respect to how the base characters deal with life in terms of the culture of the period. A great novel gives rise to a very different film, which did have the potential to become a classic. However, HIGH FIDELITY is a bad film. It's a definite rental or pay-per-view. 

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
www.studio.go.com/movies/highfidelity

BACK