It would appear that Christmas is “romantic-comedy-time” as well as family time, for in the last week, I’ve seen more romantic comedies than I usually do in three or four months.
The last one was “High Fidelity“, another favourite of mine in this genre. (But seriously, I rarely watch anything but movies I either (a) likes, or (b) am at least 70 % sure I’ll like, so this doesn’t say much, really. Additionally — and I’m well aware that this might just be something I say to myself to avoid the shame — I don’t really watch many romantic comedies, so I wouldn’t actually know what a mediocre movie in this genre would be like. I can imagine, though. I like to think I’m kinda good at that, too.)
Anyways, “High Fidelity”. A guy, played by John Cusack, gets dumped by his girlfriend, and because of this begins to think about his life. That’s pretty much the gist of the plot. And it sounds kinda ordinary, I’ll agree. But it is executed in such a way that the end product is so much better than what the basic idea sounds like in an condensed form. (But then again, what isn’t?) Cusack does his, to my rather limited knowledge, best role as the self-centered, cynical and irresponsible Rob Gordon; one of the most obnoxious characters I can think of in this genre. There’s also a strong set of side-kicks and other minor characters, most prominent of whom are his “employees” Dick and Barry — the latter impressively portrayed by Jack Black. (Speaking of Jack Black, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s best in smaller supporting roles, seeing as he seems unable to do more than one kind of character.)
Furthermore, the film has lots of scenes where Rob talks directly to the viewer, a story telling technique I thought worked perfectly in this film. I haven’t read the book yet (I will, though; I’ve got it on some shelf some place), but I suspect that this is almost a direct adaption of the technique Nick Hornby used there. If so, I applaud the screenwriter for not altering this, because, well, I liked the way it worked out; allowing the characters to explain themselves in these kinds of meta-scenes isn’t done to often today, what with the sovereignty of showing and whatnot.
There’s also a lot of references to the last three or four decades’ pop culture, particularly pop music, and that’s also gold for wannabe music nerds like myself. And not only is the film filled with references, it’s also got an awesome soundtrack. Which is always a positive factor, as far as I’m concerned.
Oh, and it’s great fun, too. Mustn’t forget that. Nossir.
8.5/10
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