DVD When his long-term girlfriend walks out on him, record shop owner Rob Gordon embarks on a painful journey through his five biggest romantic failures in an attempt to discover where it all went wrong.
Details
Rob Gordon owns a struggling independent record shop in a back street of Chicago. It's none of this new-fangled CD stuff, but pure vinyl - you know, those strange large black things your parents keep going on about. When his girlfriend Laura leaves him, Rob begins to question why his relationships always seem to end in failure.
Determined to find some answers, Rob revisits the five most significant girlfriends from his past. As he retraces old relationships, he begins to discover that the common factor behind each failed romance may not have been bad luck after all.
While attempting to win Laura back, Rob is forced to confront his own immaturity and decide whether he is finally ready to grow up. Along the way, his obsession with music, lists and nostalgia continually threatens to get in the way of real life.
Picture & Sound
The 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is generally pleasing, offering good colour reproduction, plenty of fine detail and a consistently healthy bit-rate. Contrast is occasionally a little strong, but the presentation remains clean throughout with no obvious compression artefacts.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is perfectly adequate, although this is a dialogue-driven film rather than one designed to show off your surround system. The excellent soundtrack makes occasional use of the rear speakers, while dialogue remains firmly anchored to the centre channel throughout.
Menu & Extras
The menus are disappointingly static and silent, setting the tone for what is ultimately a fairly average collection of extras. The interviews with Stephen Frears and John Cusack are interesting enough, while the deleted scenes and theatrical trailer round out the package without adding anything particularly memorable.
Overall
High Fidelity arrived surrounded by a considerable amount of hype, helped in no small part by its acclaimed soundtrack and loyal following. Unfortunately I found the finished product rather underwhelming. The film certainly has its moments, but it never really lived up to the expectations I'd built up beforehand.
John Cusack is as likeable as ever and Jack Black almost steals the entire film with his larger-than-life performance, injecting much-needed energy whenever he appears. However, Cusack's constant habit of talking directly to the camera soon becomes repetitive, and aside from one particularly amusing alternative scene involving an air-conditioning unit, I found myself waiting for the comedy to arrive.
If you're already a fan then there's probably enough here to justify a purchase, particularly if you're a Jack Black devotee. Personally though, I came away feeling that the trailer had showcased most of the best moments. A technically competent DVD, but ultimately a very disappointing film.
Special features
- Deleted Scenes
- Interview with Stephen Frears
- Interview with John Cusack
- Theatrical Trailer
