Trying for a "Reality Bites" type feel we are faced with a comedy about breaking up. This is funny?

"High Fidelity", based on the cult novel by Nick Hornby, is a about a rash, lazy, socially confused, record store owner named Rob Gordon (John Cusack). Rob is faced with the fact that he is the "king of breaking up" and if he doesn't rectify this dilemma soon he will end up alone.

"High Fidelity" is a lot like "Reality Bites" in that we are voyeurs to losers finding love. The difference between Fidelity and Bites is that Fidelity isn't as smart, fresh or nearly as funny. But what saved me in this film was John Cusack's grasp of his character. We haven't seen a Cusack like this in a long time. I loved a lot of his anecdotes to the camera and his illusion that the character is smarter than he can express. His chemistry with his cronies and their constant "Top 5" mutterings were great character development.

As the movie unfolded I was reminded of Kevin Smith's Clerks where the characters in that film were as ironic and socially confused as these guys. Is this an attempt by Hollywood to do a Kevin Smith type movie? If so, I can see why Smith is the king of these kinds of films. Another Smith element used here is the use of visible Hollywood alumni in basic cameo type roles. Cameos here were done by such stars as Catherine Zeta Jones, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Lili Taylor, Sara Gilbert, and of course Tim Robbins. Robbins role was one of the funniest in the film. That whole confrontation scene will be a crowd pleaser.

Where the movie waned for me was character's obsession with not letting go of the past. Also why was their constant communication between Cusack and his ex? Did the end of the film really solidify the end of this character's quest for happiness? Was making a commitment enough? In some ways I found it to be a Hollywood way of arriving at a happy ending. I would have preferred him grow into an adult and then find a happy relationship. But instead it seems the woman sacrificed it all to take one step back to be with him. Well breaking up is hard to do.

(3 of 5) So Says the Soothsayer.

Rob Gordan is a thirty-something record store owner who has just realized that every relationship he touches falls apart. Most recently his long-time girlfriend, Laura, has left him because he can't grow-up. He's the same as he's ever been. Rob and his strange coworkers at his store, Championship Vinyl, discuss the intricacies of life as an adult while listen to music from years past. Rob must figure out what has gone so horribly wrong in his relationships in his life while trying to mend his current one. The film shows more power than the story outline may imply.

Plot: It's the classic boy-loses-girl-boy-tries-to-get-girl-back story, so the movie isn't winning any originality points on the core storyline. But, what the film builds around that core is what is worthy of praise. High Fidelity is based on a book of the same name by Nick Hornby and a script by D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusak, and Scott Rosenberg. This film uses the rarely used narrative format, every now and then Rob Gordan fills us in on the movie. At times hard to follow, the script nicely weaves the past and the present together, a nice feature of the narrative format. I bet your wondering at this point what separates this movie from all the other romantic comedies. "Geoff, I've seen my best friends wedding 18 times and I have no need to see it again," you say. Hey, why stop at 18? What puts High Fidelity ahead of the crowd is that it puts romance in front of comedy instead of the other way around. As the audience, we actually care what happens to Rob instead of waiting for another one-liner. Plus, the movie splices in the mysterious world of the music aficionados in an entertaining fashion. Even though Rob co-workers, Dick and Barry, are clearly placed in the film for comic relief they are still like real people, not a Jim Carrey over-exaggeration. To summarize, the film's underlying structure has been done time and time again, but this time its done right. ****(out of five)

Acting: This film would be an excellent acting vehicle for any actor and John Cusack is no exception, but the american film audience has learned to expect quality work from Cusak. The acting that was really outstanding were the performances by Jack Black and Todd Louiso as Barry and Dick respectively. Jack Black is mostly known as a member of the band Tenacious D... and most people don't even know that. Jack has appeared in 25 films throughout his career including: Demolition Man, Waterworld, Dead Man Walking, Bio-Dome, The Cable Guy, Mars Attacks!, The Jackal, and Enemy of the State just to name a few. He was the guy who got shot up in the Jackal. Needless to say his performance was excellent and truly funny. Todd Louiso isn't really known by the public, he's been in some major films (Scent of a Woman, Apollo 13, The Rock, and Jerry Maguire), but in minor roles. Which is truly a shame because he certainly has the talent to be put on the front lines of a picture. Overall the acting is admirably, there are a few rough spots where emotion isn't coming across, but generally excellent work. ***1/2(out of five)

Directing: The british-born Stephen Frears is the man behind the lens for this picture. He best, financially speaking, film is 1992's Hero starring Dustin Hoffman. It's good to have Frears back in the game. Frears has a good track record with movies about the human drama and, in a loose interpretation, High Fidelity is one of those films. He is a master of showing human emotion through image color composition, a true artist. The problem? The average movie-goer won't see anything different from every other movie they've seen. This is exactly what separates Speilberg from the rest...his art has mass-market appeal. ***1/2(out of five)

Music: The movie lists Carter Burwell and Howard Shore as its composers. Carter Burwell is best known for his scores for The Coen Brothers films including: Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and The Hudsucker Proxy. Howard shore has fifty films and TV shows under his belt among the most interesting are: Saturday Night Live (Musical Director 1975-1980), the main them to Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and the Elfman-esque score to Ed Wood. To tell you the truth I didn't notice the original music as much as a did the previously released works. The movie is like a giant "Greatest Hits" Album. Thank Music Supervisor Kathy Nelson and Producer John Cusak for the soundtrack that includes such classic artists as: Elvis Costello, Stereolab, Bob Dylan, Velvet Underground, and Stevie Wonder. An excellent presentation and another soundtrack for the collection. *****(out of five)

Special Effects: None worth mentioning. No points lost or gained. none(out of five)

Bottom Line: To put it simply, High Fidelity is a good date movie that a guy could sit through and enjoy. **** (out of five)