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High Fidelity

  • 20002000
  • RR
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
178K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,258
67
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Promotional One Sheet
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of 'High Fidelity,' we take a look back at the Stephen Frears film, starring John Cusack, Jack Black, and Lisa Bonet.
Play clip1:33
'High Fidelity' | Anniversary Mashup
4 Videos
86 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Music

Rob, a record store owner and compulsive list maker, recounts his top five breakups, including the one in progress.Rob, a record store owner and compulsive list maker, recounts his top five breakups, including the one in progress.Rob, a record store owner and compulsive list maker, recounts his top five breakups, including the one in progress.

IMDb RATING
7.4/10
178K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,258
67
  • Director
    • Stephen Frears
  • Writers
    • Nick Hornby(book)
    • D.V. DeVincentis(screenplay)
    • Steve Pink(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • John Cusack
    • Iben Hjejle
    • Todd Louiso
Top credits
  • Director
    • Stephen Frears
  • Writers
    • Nick Hornby(book)
    • D.V. DeVincentis(screenplay)
    • Steve Pink(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • John Cusack
    • Iben Hjejle
    • Todd Louiso
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 657User reviews
    • 175Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 3 wins & 22 nominations total

    Videos4

    'High Fidelity' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:33
    'High Fidelity' | Anniversary Mashup
    High Fidelity
    Clip 1:28
    High Fidelity
    High Fidelity
    Clip 0:53
    High Fidelity
    What Roles Was Jack Black Considered For?
    Video 2:37
    What Roles Was Jack Black Considered For?

    Photos86

    Rob & Laura
    Barry, Dick, Rob & Marie
    John Cusack stars as Rob Gordon
    Rob & Dick
    Rob and his employees encounter Ian
    Rob and Sarah
    Rob, Jo and Liz
    Jack Black co-stars as Barry
    Rob & Laura
    Director Stephen Frears
    Director Stephen Frears (left) with novelist Nick Hornby (center) and screenwriter D.V. DeVincentis (right)
    Sam Elliott at an event for High Fidelity (2000)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Cusack
    John Cusack
    • Rob Gordonas Rob Gordon
    Iben Hjejle
    Iben Hjejle
    • Lauraas Laura
    Todd Louiso
    Todd Louiso
    • Dickas Dick
    Jack Black
    Jack Black
    • Barry Juddas Barry Judd
    Lisa Bonet
    Lisa Bonet
    • Marie De Salleas Marie De Salle
    Catherine Zeta-Jones
    Catherine Zeta-Jones
    • Charlie Nicholsonas Charlie Nicholson
    Joan Cusack
    Joan Cusack
    • Lizas Liz
    Tim Robbins
    Tim Robbins
    • Ian Raymondas Ian Raymond
    Chris Rehmann
    • Vinceas Vince
    Ben Carr
    Ben Carr
    • Justinas Justin
    Lili Taylor
    Lili Taylor
    • Sarah Kendrewas Sarah Kendrew
    Joelle Carter
    Joelle Carter
    • Penny Hardwickas Penny Hardwick
    Natasha Gregson Wagner
    Natasha Gregson Wagner
    • Caroline Fortisas Caroline Fortis
    Shannon Stillo
    • Alison Jr. Highas Alison Jr. High
    Drake Bell
    Drake Bell
    • Rob Jr. Highas Rob Jr. High
    Laura Whyte
    • Laura's Momas Laura's Mom
    Sara Gilbert
    Sara Gilbert
    • Anaugh Mossas Anaugh Moss
    Rich Talarico
    • Barry's Customeras Barry's Customer
    • Director
      • Stephen Frears
    • Writers
      • Nick Hornby(book)
      • D.V. DeVincentis(screenplay)
      • Steve Pink(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Thirty-something Rob Gordon, a former club DJ, owns a not-so-lucrative used record store in Chicago. He not so much employs Barry and Dick, but rather keeps them around as they showed up at the store one day and never left. All three are vinyl and music snobs, but in different ways. Rob has a penchant for compiling top-five lists. The latest of these lists is his top-five break-ups, it spurred by the fact that his latest girlfriend, Laura, a lawyer, has just broken up with him. He believed that Laura would be the one who would last, partly as an expectation of where he would be at this stage in his life. Rob admits that there have been a few incidents in their relationship which in and of themselves could be grounds for her to want to break up. To his satisfaction, Laura is not on this top-five list. Rob feels a need not only to review the five relationships, which go back as far as middle school when he was 12, and try to come to terms with why the woman, or girl as the case may be, left him, but also, in the words of Charlie Nicholson, number four on the list, "what it all means" for why he has ended up where he is, which is nowhere, personally or professionally, close to what he envisioned. He also has to come to terms with what it means that Laura has moved on to Ian Raymond, a man for whom neither had any respect when they were together.
    • two word title
    • breaking the fourth wall
    • talking to the camera
    • record store
    • employer employee relationship
    • 173 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Let's get it on. Maybe tonight.
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Music
      • Romance
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for language and some sexuality
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      John Cusack and the screenwriters wrote the script with Jack Black in mind for the role of Barry. He nearly turned the role down, but reconsidered.
    • Goofs
      "Janie Jones" by The Clash is listed as a "side one, track one." While it is indeed the first track on The Clash's British debut album, and the book was set in England, the film was moved to the USA, where the album started with "Clash City Rockers." But as record geeks, they would have been familiar with the British album as well, and could well have regarded it as the true debut album.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Rob: What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?

    • Crazy credits
      Catherine Zeta Jones is only credited in the final cast list and not in main credits
    • Alternate versions
      Beverly D'Angelo appears as a woman attempting to sell her husband's vintage record collection to John Cusack's character. The scene was deleted but included with several others on the DVD release.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Early Line: The Academy Awards (2000)
    • Soundtracks
      You're Gonna Miss Me
      Written by Roky Erickson

      Performed by 13th Floor Elevators (as The Thirteenth Floor Elevators)

      Courtesy of Charly Licensing APS

      By Arrangement with Celebrity Licensing Inc.

    User reviews657

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Cusack continues winning streak with this film
    I read the novel when it first came out because the title intrigued me, and I found it quite good. When I heard John Cusack was adapting it and moving the action to Chicago(from London in the novel), I was a little worried, because I worry about changing things during adaptations for arbitrary reasons, but I needn't have worried; though I have a few quibbles, which we'll get to later, Cusack and Co. have done a fine job adapting the novel.

    First off, I've read one comment which claims it stereotypes "music geeks." The type of people Hornby, Cusack, his co-writers(D.V. DeVincentis and Steve Pink, who also co-wrote GROSSE POINT BLANK, and Scott Rosenberg), and director Stephen Frears are portraying is a very particular type of "music geek"; the type who is a snob about music. Almost all of us, I would say, are aggressive about our likes and dislikes when it comes to music, but not many, I agree, compare liking Marvin Gaye and Art Garfunkel to "agreeing with both the Israelis and the Palestinians." And probably not many of us would be so cut off from feelings that, when hearing about a person's death, would find no better way of expressing their sorrow than listing their top 5 songs about death. Yet we do like these people as characters because we see even if they have some snotty attitudes, they do have a genuine love for their music, and they're in a low-paying job because they love what they do. And who among us hasn't turned to music when we've felt sad(or happy), like Rob does, or wished that Bruce Springsteen(and a pox on the person who, in their comments, implied he was passe. Bruce will NEVER be passe) would talk to us directly like he talks to us through his music? The novel and the movie captures all of that.

    Another strength, of course, is Cusack's performance. Woody Allen once said that while American actors were very good at playing virile men of action, there weren't many who could play more "normal," regular people. Cusack, on the other hand, has carved out a niche for himself playing regular guys. He doesn't look like The Boy Next Door, and he's neither stereotypically sensitive or hip, but comes across as a guy who feels both at ease and yet still longs for something more. At his best, like in movies such as THE SURE THING, SAY ANYTHING, THE GRIFTERS, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, GROSSE POINT BLANK, and this, he plays people on the cusp of growing up, who are able to if they want to, but aren't sure if they want to, and yet he's made each of them different. Rob's condition may be a little more conventional - he's not sure if he wants to settle down yet - but Cusack, while unafraid to show his unlikable qualities, makes us like Rob anyway.

    The rest of the cast is also quite good. The well-known names only get short takes(Lisa Bonet, Joan Cusack, Tim Robbins, Lili Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones), but they make the most of their time. I've never seen Iben Hjejle before(I haven't seen MIFUNE), but she does well as the most grown-up person in the movie. But the real stars, besides Cusack and the music, are Jack Black and Todd Louiso as Rob's co-workers. Black especially reminds me of people I knew.

    As I said, I do have some quibbles. There are a couple of incidents in the book which don't make it to the film which I would have liked to see(the Sid James Experience, and the lady who wanted to sell Rob a ton of valuable records for a ridiculously low price). I'm getting tired of movies which use rain as an expression of sorrow, and this is an example of overuse. And the character of Laura isn't developed as well in the movie as she was in the novel. Nevertheless, this is well worth checking out.
    helpful•95
    17
    • SKG-2
    • Apr 5, 2000

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 31, 2000 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Danish
    • Also known as
      • Alta fidelidad
    • Filming locations
      • Double Door - 1572 N. Milwaukee Avenue, West Town, Chicago, Illinois, USA
    • Production companies
      • Touchstone Pictures
      • Working Title Films
      • Dogstar Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $30,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $27,287,137
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,429,107
      • Apr 2, 2000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $47,126,295
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 53 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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