High Fidelity
Wow-in-a-less-than-positive-sense. Nick Hornby is one of those strange people whose very existence has always irked me even though my closest contact with his work has been the Drew Barrymore remake of Fever Pitch and of course About a Boy. Somehow those two movies succeeded in making Hornby’s loathsome protagonists not only tolerable but almost endearing. Here, even John Cusack can’t mask the annoyingness – although even as I type that I realise, maybe being the great actor he is he simply got the character better than the others and brought out the warts in what turns out, for me, to be a far too honest way.
It couldn’t have worked worse for me, and I almost have the feeling I’ve actually watched it before – not that I’m surprised I not only failed to write about it at the time, but have since forgotten about (repressed?) it entirely. Something about having a stupid guy – even if he’s played by John Cusack – speak directly to the camera, presented as if he’s somehow wise just because he won’t stop talking about the stupid things he’s done and the relationships he’s f*cked up, making me feel like I should have sympathy even though he’s had so much potential love in his life he can make a list of his “top five break-ups” ... it really doesn’t sit well with me, and at worst, it frankly pisses me off. I see the kinds of people who proudly announce that they’re reading the latest Nick Hornby novel in the same way some would announce completing a PhD, and I hate the fact that to too many people these books say, basically, “yes, you’re a stupid, stereotypical, insensitive penis-bearer – but it’s okay ...”
But that’s just me. On the plus side, like I said, it is John Cusack; and of course that also means Joan Cusack makes an appearance, and her tiny little scenes were little highlights; some of the music is okay; and in general it’s technically sound. S’just absolutely not my cup of tea. Don’t even get me started on the Springsteen cameo. I’d love to know what Joe Queenan thinks of this movie, I forget if he’s ever mentioned it in his books … I really hope he hates it as much as I do, lol (*edit*: mmkay, he found it “very, very entertaining” ... boosucks, it seemed to me to have everything in it he hates lol … though I guess he does love to hate things which I guess would be entertaining …)