"Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?"

High Fidelity

Director: Stephen Frears

Written by: Nick Hornby and D.V.DeVincentis

High Fidelity is one of those films that should be in every one's top 10, and if it's not then stop reading. It's a modern love tale, focusing on what's important now..rather then to keep dwelling on past failed relationships. If you keep trying to figure out where everything went wrong then you might miss out on the big picture headed your way.

 I love this film because to simply put it, I love John Cusack. I think without his presence, then this film wouldn't have the same mellow yet quirky feel. He delivers the right amount of sarcasm with every memorable line yet is able to also bring enough sweetness to show that his whole witty persona is just his barrier to protect his heart. You may want to slap him at times or pour hot java on his head, but you instantly fall for his geeky-coolness and can't help to consider him your hero and root for him all the way through the film. His band of followers, the two guys who he works with, compliments his persona so well which I think catapults this film further. In most movies when you have the 'circle of Best Friends for Ever', you feel like it's so intense or Girly, but in this case you'll see that he finds them at the best of times to be so irritating and annoying that he would rather pull his eye lashes out one by one. The bonds between them are not cute but you wouldn't want them to be. They contrast just nicely, with the right amount of appreciation and eye rolling rolled into one. I think this adds to the movies meaning all the more, as it tries to highlight that while you may not want to deliver your love in bucket loads you can't not love at all. 

  The story itself is a fun indie comedy that keeps you amused for every second. You can relate to it no matter who you are because it looks at one of those topics that everyone will have gone through... only those with enough self-discipline and lack of heart will perhaps not agree. We all look back at failed relationships and wonder if it should have failed, was it me that made it failed.. should I Facebook message them and ask to meet up to see if we can correct this fail? To put it bluntly, we keep going back to certain people over and over again because we find ourselves locked too much in the past without focusing on the present and future.

  As this movies was originally a book by Hornby, the storyline just flows and you never feel like it's a stuck record on repeat. When the main character looks back at his top 10 failed loves, the shots and screen play is quick, direct and straight to the point..delivering a funny moment again and again. The editing allows you to tap into his complexity as a character because when faced with his reasoning for his actions you are able to be drawn into that specific emotion long enough to capture it. The Director, Frears, is also well known for creating some classic British movies such as 'The Queen' and 'Mrs. Henderson Presents', and as we know that the Brits are less prone to trashy American flicks, you can be sure that this is more British then HP Sauce as it has none of the calories that the American indie-rom coms can have. 

Since the movie is based in a record store as that is where our hero works, you can bet on some good mellow indie/alternative tunes to crop up every now and then... and you should probably expect some over-the-top, cringe worthy pop tunes once and again too. With the inclusion of Jack Black and a killer end credit song, you have a winner of a movie.