Wonkette Movie Night: High Fidelity

'Now, the making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many do's and don'ts. First of all you're using someone else's poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.'

High Fidelity starts with Laura breaking up with Rob. No, this is not a modern retelling of “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” But it is an example of Rob’s inability to stay in a relationship. John Cusack’s character Rob breaks the fourth wall throughout the movie, talking to the audience like they are his therapist. Which he could probably use as he explains his top five worst break-ups. The fact that he has had more than five should be a big red flag.

Rob takes us along as he attempts to discover what went wrong in those relationships, reaching out to the women he believes broke his heart. His days are spent in his record store, a place for record “fetishists” as he calls them. He admits that he is one of them so doesn’t feel bad about taking their money. Rob employs two guys and together they use their musical knowledge to impress or berate customers.

Starting with number one on the break-up list, Rob goes all the way back to middle school. He thinks he will discover something about himself, something that made his first kiss find someone else. When he hears from her mother that she married that other guy he starts to realize it might not be all about him.

So we follow Rob through his relationships and he starts to see a little more clearly that it is not a simple answer. Being with another person requires giving and receiving and he admits to himself maybe he wasn’t so good at that. He asks Laura, “What should I have done to make you happy?” and her response is something that many people should remember.

“Nothing. Make yourself happy.”

How can you bring joy to others when you don’t even know what it means in your own life. Rob’s journey of self discovery isn’t an easy one. It can be hard to be honest with yourself and admit that you’ve made mistakes. But it must be done unless you want to keep repeating them. It is all part of growing up, even if that happens in your 30s or 50s or fuck it, never grow up and dance like Jack Black listening to Katrina and the Waves.

High Fidelity stars John Cusack, Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Tim Robbins, Lisa Bonet, Catharine Zeta-Jones, Lili Taylor, and Todd Louiso. Directed by Stephen Frears.

High Fidelity is available with subscription on Hulu and Disney+. $3.99 in the usual places. Available for free on the Internet Archive.

To make requests and see the movie lists and schedules go to WonkMovie.

The animated short is Spring from Blender Studios, written and directed by Andy Goralczyk.

Our next Movie Night selection is Casablanca, available with subscription on Max and Sling TV. $3.99 in the usual places. Free on the Internet Archive.