High Fidelity

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Have you read High Fidelity? What did you think? Have you seen the film, and did you think it was better or worse?

Apparently, the film is based in America, unlike the book which is set in Britain, so I'm not sure about that. I can't see how it could *work* in the States, some of the characters are just so English! I'll have to wait and see until the movie is released in Britain, which is bound to be years after the American premier.

-- Tim (tim@newmail.net), April 10, 2000

Answers

I've read High Fidelity, and I think it rocks. I didn't expect to like it because I hated Fever Pitch - too much football - but High Fidelity was excellent. I finished it thinking, 'I always thought women were the neurotic ones - well they are, but men are too!'

I'm positive the film will be rubbish - it couldn't be anything else. The characters, the setting, the atmosphere is totally English. It's impossible to duplicate London, the city is unique! (What me, a Londoner biased towards her hometown?!) Actually, that's not quite true - the film, as a film, will probably be OK. But I think that for anyone who's read the book, the film will be a poor second. I'm not going to bother watching it.

-- Helen (breathe@oceanic.nu), April 10, 2000.


I haven't read the book, but I saw the movie last week. Let me first say that I usually like the book much better than the movie in these situations, but the book must be awfully darn good to be better than this movie! It was excellent. Of course I love John Cusack, so I went in with somewhat of a bias, but the rest of the cast was perfect. The two record store employees had me rolling with laughter. And his ex-girlfriends were also quite amusing. Don't let your book-to-movie bias keep you from seeing it! I think I'll read the book now, to see the Brit-American differences, but I don't think it had much effect on the changing of the setting. There are plenty of neurotic and quirky Americans, you know. Myself, for example. But that's a post for another time and topic.

-- marne (marne@yahoo.com), April 10, 2000.

Partially. My mother and I read "About A Boy" and both liked it a lot, so she got "High Fidelity" out of the library. She didn't like it (too dark and dodgy for her tastes) so she passed it on to me while we were on the train back from Sheffield. I was really getting into it, and the following night, I was like, "What have you done with 'High Fidelity'?" "I've taken it back to the library," said she. Arg! And since my local library is only open about three hours a week, all of which occur while I'm at work, the final three quarters of it remain a mystery to me. Anyone want to lend me a copy?

-- Zed (zed@swansongs.net), April 10, 2000.

Erm, well... I saw the movie last night, but I still haven't read the novel. (Dodges flying tomatoes) I don't know about the book, but the movie hit waaaaay too close to home. Yes, I was yelling my music commentary at the screen. I quite enjoyed it (and fell in love with John Cusack), but I wish I could've seen it with someone who understood WHY I was yelling at the screen. I'm going to get the book as soon as I can. Books are always better than the movie version.

-- krysten (krysten@bellsouth.net), April 10, 2000.

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