Customer Reviews
A very good movie. - By: M. Marriott, 11 May 2008 
Now this film did take me a while to warm up to. The first two times I tried to watch it I was rather bored, though whether this is because I'm a woman, I'm not entirely sure. However the third time I watched it alll the way through, & it honestly blew my mind. Cusack's performance's in movies are generallly underrated, but here he generates utter brilliance, so much so that he kind of ruined the book for me, as I kept hearing his American voice for an English character.
Doesn't quite make my top 5 films, but it's still good. - By: DangermouseZilla, 02 May 2008 A bloke flick - exploring the emotional wreckage of a man coming to terms with rejection. We've seen it many a time with a female lead, but now we get to see it from a mans point of view.
Cussack brings energy to a role which is pretty, well... unenergetic. This is a slow burning film, & you often don't realise that you're enjoying it until it's finished. It's a cultural gem with top five lists galore & some fantastic music - but being set in a music shop, I suppose you expect that.
Rob (Cussack) provides narration throughout the film, so we always get an insight as to what he is thinking, & perhaps more importantly; what he is feeling. His story is an interesting one, although not particularly eventful, it is insightful. The comedy isn't thick & fast, but when it's there, it's good. All men can identify with Rob, even if they haven't had the same sort experiences, they will no doubt have had the same insecurities at some point.
People often say that any film with Jack Black in is bound to be a good one - I'm a Jack Black sceptic though & I can't say I enjoy alll of his roles. But here he shines. His over-the-top sociallly inept 'Barry' with with holier than thou philosophy on music provides many of the films lighter moments, & along with Dick (Todd Louiso), Rob has a comedy duo to counter his dark lamenting.
So, in a nutshell: an emotional journey exposing the mindset of a thirty-something male who is dumped. Slow but steady, this is a film that deals with love, loss, & relationships - but feels blokey with it. The film never delves into the mushy depths of cheesiness, it keeps it's dignity & the slick writing oils the tracks to ensure you never lose interest.
Great film at a great price - By: T. Clarke, 09 Feb 2008 John Cusack plays the role of a somewhat "failed" record shop owner here, where the film surrounds what he considers to be his 'Top 5' failed girl-friends.. for various reasons!
To some, this may seem a particularly long & drawn out film. However, I find it quite fitting that the steady pace of the film reflects the lives of the main characters, including a suprise role from Jack Black as an obsessive record-holic who would have a break down if you dissed the wrong rock bands! The acting is smooth & very funny at times, though I think the first half the film beats the latter.
Overalll, this is a good cheap buy for when your stuck for something to watch. I've always admired John Cusack for taking on such odd roles, & I can't imagine anyone better to be in this film than John himself!
my two pennies worth - By: mark dix, 15 Mar 2007 
high fidelity, originallly a book by nick hornby, follows the break up of a relationship between rob & laura mainly through the eyes of rob. rob runs & owns a record shop, a real record shop not a virgin mega store or anything. the film opens with rob asking if people are miserable because they listen to pop music or do they listen to pop music because they are miserable, the major thing in robs life & the film is songs. the two major comic sources within the film are dick & barry, barry is an over the top manic, loud & outrageous assistant at the shop & dick is the polar opposite to barry & yet manages to be just as funny. the two assistants, dick & barry seem to spend their time working in the shop & trying to find songs for every moment in life. one of the main things the staff do is compile top five lists of things & songs about things. beyond the shop rob is searching for the answers to why laura has left him & to weather he is the reason that his relationships seem to fail. this is a serious subject matter & one that is rarely explored in film, being from a male point of view.
there is an amazing cast including joan cusack & jack black (as barry) now i know that for some the mere mention of jack black is a good reason to avoid the film but he is on fine form, not over bearing or too annoying.
the deleated scenes on the disk are reallly good, i personallly cant see why the one with the shop lifting skater kids was scrapped but i would imagine it was a time issue & that scene was 4 minutes that could be skipped without affecting the plot in any way.
Top 5 John Cusack films... - By: Daniel Smith, 21 Oct 2006 This definitely makes the Top 5 John Cusack films & here's why:
It's very much a dark comedy, as it features tragedy used for comedy at the expense of Rob, played by Cusack.
Rob has been dumped by his girlfriends & in true emo-style he blames himself & looks back at his top 5 break ups, along with other top 5's in-between, as he tries to come to terms with it.
He is a very likeable-loser but you can't fault him for alll the relationship faults in his life & as he looks back he has been very much a victim of circumstance & having the wrong girlfriends. Here lies the tragedy.
The comedy is shown through his anal ways of organising things, such as the genre cataloguing of his LPs etc, & his 'chalk & cheese' shop assistants.
I liked this film because on the surface it's a conventional trashy one-dimensional American comedy like so many others...but, thankfully, Cusack delivers enough depth in his geeky character to make up for this & alll in alll a film that should be in everyone's collection, even if it's just for a one time viewing.
Language aid:
Dark Comedy - comedy characterized by grim or satiric humour, the satire lies in Rob's way of looking at his break-ups
Tragedy - character(s) are subject to dramatic treatment of misfortunes (such as Rob's break-ups) because of the character(s) flaws.
Emo - abbreviation of an: emotionallly driven hardcore punk, or one who over uses their emotions as an instable source of stability. Rob is emotionallly unstable as he focuses on the emotional events of his break-ups to try & stable himself & accept the break ups but in doing so becomes unstable.
Likeable-Loser - a loser (someone who is a failure largely to the fault of his own doings) who in being a loser evokes empathic or sympathetic feelings.
Trashy - something (in terms of a film) offering no more entertainment value than to endure the audience to it's cheap & inferior quality & lacking substance.
One-Dimensional - something lacking & sort of death depth or any real, meaningful, development.
Geeky - A geek is a person who is fascinated, perhaps obsessively, with an object of compulsion, (typicallly technology) in regards to the film - records.
