High Fidelity | Rotten Tomatoes

High Fidelity

R

Released Mar 31, 2000

1h 53m

Romance

Comedy

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High Fidelity: Trailer 1

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91%

Tomatometer

165 Reviews

90%

Audience Score

100,000+ Ratings

Rob Gordon (John Cusack) is the owner of a failing record store in Chicago, where he sells music the old-fashioned way -- on vinyl. Although they have an encyclopedic knowledge of pop music and are consumed by the music scene, it's of no help to Rob, whose needle skips the love groove when his long-time girlfriend, Laura (Iben Hjejle), walks out on him. As he examines his failed attempts at romance and happiness, the process finds him being dragged, kicking and screaming, into adulthood.

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Critics Consensus

The deft hand of director Stephen Frears and strong performances by the ensemble cast combine to tell an entertaining story with a rock-solid soundtrack.

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Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

High Fidelity, with its knowing take on men, messed-up romance and music, is like one long, hook-filled pop song for the eyes.

Rated: 3.5/4

Feb 10, 2014

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

It is still a bit wimpy and sugary, but it's definitely entertaining, and the translation to American accelerates the tempo refreshingly.

Feb 10, 2014

Full Review

Nathan Rabin

AV Club

A film pragmatic enough to concede that almost every relationship is doomed, but romantic enough to realize that it's worth it to carry on in spite of that fact, High Fidelity is one of the smartest and funniest romantic comedies of the past few years.

Feb 10, 2014

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Insightful in exploring the manner in which people’s perceptions of each other are colored not by actual shifts in personality but by circumstances that are often beyond anyone’s control.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 16, 2023

Full Review

Charlotte Harrison

Charlotte Sometimes Goes to the Movies

Few films capture the healing power of music or the harsh reality of love & break-ups.

Aug 24, 2021

Full Review

PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

Like a male version of 'Bridget Jones' - with the lead reduced to a nauseating cipher who espouses mediocre, gender politics jargon.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 27, 2019

Full Review

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M R

Captivating. I believe the author based the book on his dating life. If this is anywhere near the truth, he led an exceptional life. Rating: 10/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/24

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Andy H

This is an unusually delightful movie. Every actor is at their best.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/28/23

Full Review

Matt Y

A fantastic story told brilliantly, High Fidelity is one of the best movies out there with outstanding performances by just about everyone in the stellar cast!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/01/23

Full Review

StephenPaul C

LOL, the funniest 01 hour: and 53 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/11/23

Full Review

Red T

An All Time Classic. Phenomenal Acting led by John Cusack, this film belongs to him and is only matched by Jack Black. Everyone else is really good and has tons of char and chemistry with really witty humor. The music is awesome and is really memorable and catchy throughout. The editing is masterful and this is paced beautifully always focused on Rob. The cinematography is very good, the camerawork is solid and the Record Store is a memorable place. It's nothing fancy but its focused on just allowing the actors to shine and convey the emotion beautifully. This balances humor, romance, and drama with just the right amount of seriousness to keep it from being tongue in cheek. The 4th wall breaking fits beautifully and coupled with the soundtrack gives this a really unique identity and a really sincere story. Everyone should give this a try once

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/09/23

Full Review

Connor A

This film is pretty good. John Cusack gives a really good performance and Jack Black is a great supporting act, they both bring the comedy into this film. The story is all over the place but it's still an entertaining one. It reminds me of the show "How I Met Your Mother", I'm guessing that show got some inspiration from this film but that could just be me. The music in this film is good too. Overall, its a good comedy that is worth a watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/25/23

Full Review

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Stephen Frears

Director

John Cusack

Rob

Iben Hjejle

Laura

Todd Louiso

Dick

Jack Black

Barry

Lisa Bonet

Marie DeSalle

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High Fidelity: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Rob Gordon (John Cusack) is the owner of a failing record store in Chicago, where he sells music the old-fashioned way -- on vinyl. Although they have an encyclopedic knowledge of pop music and are consumed by the music scene, it's of no help to Rob, whose needle skips the love groove when his long-time girlfriend, Laura (Iben Hjejle), walks out on him. As he examines his failed attempts at romance and happiness, the process finds him being dragged, kicking and screaming, into adulthood.

Director: Stephen Frears
Producer: Tim Bevan, Rudd Simmons
Screenwriter: Nick Hornby, D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack, Scott Rosenberg
Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, New Crime Productions, Dogstar Films
Rating: R (Some Sexuality|Language)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 31, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $27.3M
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, DTS, SDDS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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