HIGH FIDELITY review
Published at: March 20, 2000, 2:33 p.m. CST by headgeek
In 1990, Stephen Frears and John Cusack teamed up
on a wonderful little film called THE GRIFTERS.
Critics and cinephiles generally loved the film, and
coming on the heels of Frears’ DANGEROUS
LIAISONS... it was looking like Stephen was going
to be brilliant for many years, but wasn’t. I enjoy the
HERO, but not very much. MARY REILLY just...
wasn’t working for me. THE HI-LO COUNTRY?
Blah. It’s been 10 years since Stephen Frears kicked
my ass.
Tonight, my ass was kicked hard.
I woke up early this SXSW Friday morning. The
night before I’d been out partying with various
members of the AICN gang, specifically a large
selection of the AICN GAL PALS and the Dude.
This was a film vacation night. Smack dab in the
middle of the festival, surrounded by films that we
had heard low buzz on, a bit hazy eyed from the
low-light world of a theater... Our mouths nearly
trapped in the Lock Jaw world of theater induced
silence... We decided to cut loose at a local bar/club
where Aaron Neville was... Well, being a Neville. I
was slinging back 32 oz glasses of Crown and Coke
and slurring my speech till 5a.m.... so when I awoke
at 10a.m. You better believe I was bright eyed and
bushy-tailed.
I started off this day seeing a wretched pile of
cinematic dung sans the life of buzzing flies. My
back began spasming as I left this showing of this
unmentionable heap. I felt listless. Back hurting
from terrible Wichita Falls hotel bed, Dad’s neck was
assaulted by the Hampton Inn pillow of death. The
past 23 days of traveling... the bad back, terrible film
and just general exhaustion was beginning to wear me
down to a dull point.
As I leaned up against the side of this building next to
the PARAMOUNT THEATER, I tried to pop my
back, to work out this knot. It began spasming. I
could feel the pain jutting through me. A slight
gallow’s grimace crossing my face. I am in a very
non-personable mood. I really wanted to be at home,
in a hot tub, trying to relax the tension that this
frigging Tingler had on my frafinugin spine.
Finally, the theater begins to fill in, and I move
instantly to my fourth row center seat, snap between
the incomparable Claire Standish and the wet minx,
Annette Kellerman. In front of me was Tom Joad and
behind me was Peter Blood or Flesh Gordon... I can’t
recall.
The audience is all a buzz that John Cusack, Tim
Robbins and Joan Cusack were there and set to take
the stage. And to an indie crowd... thems gods you’re
a talking about.
Me? I have my eyes shut, head tilted back, trying to
make the screaming pain in my back go away.
Annette is trying to massage the knot out, but truth be
told, this is the sort of back knot that only a geisha
walking upon your back for 17 days can alleviate.
Though I appreciate her effort.
Claire tries to soothe me with angelic vocal tidings.
But I hurt. Bad.
Charlie, of SXSW and THE SHOW WITH NO
NAME fame, steps before the packed 1200+ theater,
and does a quick, ‘what a pleasure it is to bring you
this film early’ bit and steps from in front of the
crowd to some sideline curtains.
People begin to say, “What... no Cusack?”
And then the film begins. Suddenly there was no
‘star-fucking’ desire in the audience. Sure, it’s
wonderful to see Garofalo and Jerry Stiller take the
stage... but ultimately movies like THE
INDEPENDENT and to an even higher degree,
HIGH FIDELITY, don’t need it.
HIGH FIDELITY is just wonderful. First there are
only two people in the world that could play the lead
here. John Cusack and Matthew Broderick... and
currently, coming off of BEING JOHN
MALKOVICH, Cusack is the most right choice.
However, had this film remained set in the U.K. it
would have been interesting to see who would have
filled the various pop stylings of ‘Rob Gordon’.
However, I have to say that I can not imagine anyone
ever making a better film out of HIGH FIDELITY.
Stephen Frears and John Cusack really pulled the Lou
and Babe, 1 & 2 HR. From the writing team of
GROSSE POINT BLANK.... comes a film that, for
me, had a throbbing pulse that, while not healing my
back, made me forget about the knot for a couple of
hours.
Did you ever see FREE ENTERPRISE? It was a fun
little film that tried way too hard to be cool regarding
a geekish lifestyle. It kept trying to force things,
make them fit. It tried to hunk everything out. It
tried as hard as it could to be this movie to the film
geek audience, but ultimately blew it.
HIGH FIDELITY is dead on for the late twenties to
mid thirties, music geek lifestyle romantic comedy
type a thing.
For about 70% of my life I sold movie, comics,
animation and rock-n-roll memorabilia at expositions,
and I just have to say that they so completely nailed
the snootery that is prevalent between those that sell
and those that buy.
The character that Jack Black portrays is downright
genius. I remember people coming in asking for
Aquaman comics, me pulling out a box that has the
entire run through till about 1976, and then them
asking for that ‘fishing lure’ version of Aquaman with
that damn whaling thing as an arm. Piece of crap. Or
folks talking about a smart Hulk with split
personalities “grey/green/banner” and me pulling out
a shitload of TALES TO ASTONISH when The Hulk
ruled.
There is a certain degree of snobbery that comes in.
I’d always listen to their side, but then I’d sit them
down, and begin taking them through the history of
the character. Teach them the meaning of the phrase,
“HULK SMASH” and let them be awakened to a
newer more colorful universe of Jack Kirby.
Jack Black’s character at one point in the film is
getting a guy hooked on the fact that he simply must
own this group of albums to be cool. Walking his
purchase up... the first golden rule of a great
collectibles salesman. You also must entertain and be
able to be an encyclopedia.
Now this is just a minor note of the film, as the film
belongs heart and soul to John Cusack and his history
of failed relationships, the styles and times of each
relationship and folks.... this film delivers supremely.
Go check it out. It’s a great Frears/Cusack film.