Review: High Fidelity
When his girlfriend (Iben Hjejle) dumps him, pretentious record store (mostly vinyl) owner John Cusack is in uber-neurotic mode, perhaps a few years shy of being called a mid-life crisis. Obsessed with Top 5 lists, he decides to track down the women in his top five most significant romantic breakups to try and help him understand what is wrong with him. Meanwhile, he still seems to be hoping for a reunion with Hjejle, but finds himself attracted to a local musician (Lisa Bonet). Catherine Zeta-Jones and Lili Taylor play two of Cusack’s ex’s, Joan Cusack plays Hjejle’s best friend, Jack Black plays one of Cusack’s elitist employees, and Tim Robbins plays Hjejle’s tantric douchebag new lover. Bruce Springsteen briefly appears as himself…sort of. Popular with a lot of people, this 2000 adaptation of the Nick Hornby ( “About a Boy” , screenwriter of “An Education” ) novel from director Stephen Frears ( “The Queen” , “Philomena” ) held limited appeal for me. There’s only so ...