High Fidelity

Movie Title: High Fidelity
Studio: Buena Vista/Touchstone
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: John Cusack, Jack Black, Iben Hjejle, Todd Louiso, Lisa Bonet, Joan Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tim Robbins
Original Release: 2000


"Which came first? The music or the misery? Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable, or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?"

These are the questions that Rob Gordon, an aging vintage record store owner, played by John Cusack, asks himself that set the stage for the themes of High Fidelity.

I worked in a record store in the mid-seventies, so I immediately recognized many of the characters and situations in this movie. Trust me, record collectors are a strange breed.

And, record collectors who work in record stores are the strangest breed of all.

Record stores are weird places to work. There is a certain air of almost celebrity that comes with working in a record store. It's hard to put your finger on, but people know who you are, they know what you like, they know what you don't like and more importantly, they know how much, or how little, you know about music.

And, if you know music, you begin to develop a customer base, I would say fan base, but it's not always like that, sometimes it is, but sometimes it's just business. Collectors will seek you out because they know you know what they like.

And, as John Cusack's character says in the movie, "What really matters is what you like, not what you're like."

But record collecting is only a small part of what High Fidelity is about. This is a movie about relationships and why they last or don't last, and what kind of music is playing in the background.

Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, High Fidelity follows the 'relationship crisis' of Rob (Cusack), whose girlfriend, Laura (Iben Hjejle), has left him for a more mature, worldly lover (Tim Robbins), as he begins to deal with the undeniable fact that it's time to grow up.
As part of the growing up process, Rob decides to look up all his old girlfriends in order to better understand himself and his relationship with Laura.

Rob often speaks directly to the camera letting the audience in on his thought process of how he views life, relationships and music. This gives the viewer a glimpse into the relationship between relationships and music. At least from Rob's point of view.

The movie's main plot is Rob recounting his past breakups via his favorite organizing device, the Top Five List. So, we join Rob on his journey through his Top Five Break-Ups.

The Top Five of just about everything and every type of music is a recurring theme in the movie.

Even though the main storyline is Rob's journey through the past, some of the best scenes take place in the record store between Dick (Todd Louiso) and Barry (Jack Black). They argue about music constantly and are classic examples of the introverted music geek and the outlandish, outspoken music snob.

For rock and roll fans who tend to put a soundtrack to everything they experience, (see the heading on this blog) High Fidelity is a must see.

If you have never put together a compilation tape for a friend or lover, pay particular attention to the scene where Rob tells you how to make the perfect compilation tape.

Remember, it's not what you are like that matters, it's what you like that counts.