Wednesday 17 December 2014

REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY

MOVIE REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY (2000)

WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR HIGH FIDELITY (2000)

The many expressions of John Cusack

The movie begins with an emotional crisis for protagonist Rob Gordon (portrayed by John Cusack), as his long time girlfriend Laura (Iben Hjejle) breaks up with him. This sets in motion the journey of self-discovery that is the center piece of the movie. Rob's character sulks in a corner childishly, listening to records, as his girlfriend packs up her things to leave, and the imagery is appropriate. Much of the movie is about growing up. Not in a physical sense, but an emotional sense. About learning to turn self-pity, and self-loathing, into self-awareness. 

Sulking and listening to records

Rob owns and operates a record store specializing in Vinyl. The store is something of a hub for the action in the movie, and it's cool to see this kind of place. It's dying out in the modern age of digital media. Rob, as a typical musical elitist, is unbearably pretentious. He has excellent taste, but is totally blind to how off-putting his good taste makes him to the normal person. He believes his good taste is a substitute for human decency. The movie is filled with cool cultural touchstones, and is a great snapshot of the mind-set of the 90's. An alternative, nihilistic, Gen-Ex mentality focused on attitude and devoid of personal responsibility. Rob and his cohorts are paradoxical to the extreme. They are fueled by self-loathing, but believe they are better than the customers who populate the store. They think they don't fit into the world because their taste and intelligence set them apart, but it's actually because their surly, childish attitudes toward life are alienating to well adjusted individuals.

The record store serves as a base of operations

This childish attitude is reflected in Rob's relationships with the women in his life. Much of the movie is about Rob comparing his most recent breakup with Laura to the "top five" breakups he has gone through as a young man. These "top-five" lists populate the movie, and reflect a reliance on structure and order necessary for Rob's mental health. His life is thrown into complete disarray when Laura leaves him and this is shown through his new method of organizing his record collection: Autobiographically, as opposed to alphabetically or chronologically. More symbolism presents itself when Rob plays the C.D. of Marie De Salle (Lisa Bonet), and enjoys it. He is a vinyl purist, but his enjoyment of a new medium (compact disk) may indicate changing attitudes and tastes. He hates Peter Frampton, but likes it when sung by Marie. Although, this is never really followed up on.

An impressive record collection

Rob suffers from a severe victim mentality, believing all the woes and wrongs in his life are happening TO him, as opposed to BECAUSE of him. Initially, as the films protagonist, we are inclined to believe him. But, then the movie does something clever. We see Rob's side of his "Top Five Breakups", and then as he reconnects with the women on his list one by one, we get to see things from their point of view, as does he. The women in Rob's life are a means to an end. He's in love with falling in love, but once that feat has been accomplished, he becomes complacent and lazy in his relationships. He allows them to deteriorate until the point of crisis, at which point he is once again the victim of feminine wiles. Earlier, as a young man, he has broken up with a girl because she won't put out. He becomes filled with self-pity when he hears that she has slept with her new boyfriend on their third date, totally unaware of how his own actions may have influenced that decision until he reconnects with the girl years later. He is filled with relief when he learns that Laura has not yet slept with her new boyfriend Ian (Tim Robbins), and his response is to immediately go out and sleep with Marie De Salle. Rob holds others to standards that he himself is incapable of reaching, and is disappointed repeatedly when they fall short. Nothing further develops with the character of Marie De Salle, and Rob falls into his old patterns. Once he has had the girl, he's no longer especially interested in the girl, and the film doesn't make reference to her again. I'm unsure if this is poor writing, or a deliberate point made by the movie, but it works and I'm wiling to give it the benefit of the doubt.

WHY ME?! WHY ME?! WAAAAH

Reconciliation happens when Rob attends the funeral of Laura's father, and Rob is finally able to swallow his own pride and apologize. Instead of blaming Laura for the end of their relationship, his journey has allowed him to recognize the part he has played and to attempt to make amends. He is still depressive, and walks through the rain in his suit. This is imagery that the movie hammers home again and again. I lost count of the number of times that Rob stood sopping wet in a rainstorm after undergoing some emotional trauma. The pathetic fallacy of it is a little on the nose, but fairly effective.



Why don't we have cell phones yet?!

A moment of horror occurs when Rob is once again presented with temptation in the form of a pretty young interviewer who has an interest in him. He goes as far as to start making her a mix tape, and for a moment we as the audience can't help but sigh. Has he learned nothing during the course of the movies events? Luckily, he redeems himself and acknowledges what has been painfully obvious to the viewer for most of the movie. That the grass is not always greener on the other side, although it often appears so. In Laura he has found a woman who is willing to work with his short comings, who is not only willing to grow with him as a person, but who is unwilling to watch him stagnate in a funk of self-pity. Rob has taken the first steps toward growing up. 

The movie is an introspective character study, and an interesting one at that. Well written, and well acted, if at times populated by annoying characters lacking any self-awareness... But, that's kind of the point. You can't have your protagonist undergo a journey of self-discovery if there is nothing to discover. The soundtrack is great, and you wouldn't expect anything less in a movie filled with music snobs who work in a record store. The environment of the film is a nostalgic slice of the 90's, a photograph of a time and place that is quickly disappearing from the cultural zeitgeist. And, even though Rob's character is at times infuriating, it's hard not to see a bit of yourself in him. We've all had to undergo the pain of emotional growth, and we've all emerged on the other side with some new insight into our lives, and (hopefully) some empathy for those around us. The movie is certainly worth seeing, especially if the 90's Gen-X culture and attitude referenced throughout are appealing to you.  

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