High Fidelity (2000)

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writers (WGA):

Nick Hornby (book)
D.V. DeVincentis (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

31 March 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

A comedy about fear of commitment, hating your job, falling in love and other pop favorites.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Store | Record Store | Pop Music | Song | Love

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

John Cusack	...	Rob Gordon
Iben Hjejle	...	Laura
Todd Louiso	...	Dick
Jack Black	...	Barry
Lisa Bonet	...	Marie De Salle
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Charlie Nicholson
Joan Cusack	...	Liz
Tim Robbins	...	Ian 'Ray' Raymond
Chris Rehmann	...	Vince
Ben Carr	...	Justin
Lili Taylor	...	Sarah Kendrew
Joelle Carter	...	Penny Hardwick
Natasha Gregson Wagner	...	Caroline Fortis
Shannon Stillo	...	Alison Jr. High
Drake Bell	...	Rob Jr. High

Also Known As:

Alta Fidelidade (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Alta fedeltà (Italy) [it]
Alta fidelidad (Spain) [es]
Haute fidélité (Canada: French title) [fr]
High Fidelity (Finland) [fi]
High Fidelity (France) [fr]
High Fidelity (Greece) [el]
High Fidelity (Denmark) [da]
High Fidelity - uskollinen äänentoisto (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
Pop, csajok satöbbi (Hungary) [hu]
Przeboje i podboje (Poland) [pl]
Sensiz olmaz (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Vsechny moje lásky (Czech Republic) (TV title) [cs]

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Danish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:L | Malaysia:18PL | Malaysia:U (cut version) | USA:R (certificate #37241) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Denmark:A (DVD rating) | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | Peru:14 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Buck Town, Lincoln Square, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Dogstar Films

Trivia:

When we first see Rob's record store, Rob walks across the store exposing many record covers in the background. One record that stands out is a record by the group, Index. Index were a 1960s garage band from Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: While engaging in a monologue about his relationship woes, Rob boards a Purple Line Express train of the Chicago Transit Authority. The Purple Line Express boards at the Howard Station on the far north side of Chicago and does not stop until the Belmont Station in Lakeview. However, just after Cusack boards the train, it passes Lincoln Hand Laundry and Graceland Cemetery; thus he must have boarded in Edgewater, well before Belmont, despite the fact that the train he was on does not stop in that neighborhood. Moreover, the scene ends with the Purple Line train (the "Loop" destination indicator is visible behind his head) descending into the subway. However, the Purple Line Express does not use the subway, but rather the elevated tracks, going into the Loop and turning back around and proceeding back through the city into the north suburbs.

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?

Movie Connections:

References St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

Soundtrack:

Leave Home

Top 5 Movies About Love and Music

One of my favorite movies, based on one of my favorite books. "High Fidelity" is perfect if you already had a broken heart, and if you tried to heal it with some pop songs.

John Cusack is not acting - he REALLY IS Rob Fleming (Rob Gordon in the movie). If there are doubts about it, I just say that he made the soundtrack compilation and collaborated with the screenplay.

The supporting cast is also perfect. Jack Black and Todd Louiso couldn't be better. Tim Robbins, as the world-music-fan, is a nice surprise, and Joan Cusack is always funny.

It looks like everyone had a lot of fun making this movie, and the result is a nice and funny and full of emotions motion picture, to see again and again and again to remember how music and love can help each other.