The Song Remains the Same
Stephen Frears and John Cusack’s High Fidelity
Frears has had ups and downs, but here he’s stuck in neutral, with filmmaking as square as the story. Save for a cameo by Bruce Springsteen, who enters the film like a gift, there’s little to suggest that this movie is from the same man who directed My Beautiful Laundrette and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid. High Fidelity has none of the joyous pop verve of those earlier features, and none of the coiled intensity of Frears’ most successful Hollywood movies, Dangerous Liaisons and The Grifters, the sleek neo-noir in which Cusack played a con artist with a lethal Oedipus complex. As with Frears’ last film, The Hi-Lo Country, this new movie has a draggy, overextended vibe. Part of the problem is Cusack, whose obvious appeal has always worked a counterpoint to his low-key, reactive performance style. Cusack has ineffable charm, but he keeps it tuned at the lowest possible frequency. It’s that sense of modesty, real or feigned, that from Say Anythingon has made him the type women want to end up with after getting burned or left on ice. Yet for all that, Cusack has never settled comfortably into the role of leading man — you get the feeling that the idea of taking up that kind of space and that kind of attention embarrasses him. He’s a reluctant hero, which is why he’s so good at playing bad, and why, after slipping into his character’s surliness here, he seems to have a hard time coming out again. Or maybe it’s just that Cusack is as skeptical of Rob’s impending happy ending as we are.
HIGH FIDELITY | Directed by STEPHEN FREARS | Written by D.V. DEVINCENTIS, STEVE PINK, JOHN CUSACK and SCOTT ROSENBERG Based on the novel by NICK HORNBY | Produced by TIM BEVAN and RUDD SIMMONS | Released by Touchstone Pictures | Citywide
Now Showing
Find capsule reviews, showtimes & tickets for all films in town.
Join My Voice Nation for free stuff, film info & more!
Now Trending
