Fantastic movie. I love John Cusack and is surely one of my top ten favorite movies.
High Fidelity
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Funny, neurotic, charming but not for kids.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 16 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of High Fidelity was written by Nell Minow
Parents need to know that this movie has very strong R-rated material, including explicit sexual references and sex for reasons other than intimacy (one-night stand just for the sex, sex to numb sad feelings). Characters drink and smoke a lot.
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- Families can talk about the way people change as they grow up.
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More on High Fidelity
What’s the Story?
In HIGH FIDELITY, Rob Gordon (Jon Cusack) owns a vintage record store called "Classic Vinyl." Only the two hopeless guys who work for him (Jack Black and Todd Luiso) make him feel like a grown-up by comparison. They sit around all day, getting rid of potential customers who are just not cool enough to be allowed to buy their records, endlessly ranking everything in the world. They hyper-critically rate everything except for their own sorry lives. His girlfriend Laura's departure prompts Rob to make a list of his five worst break-ups, which allows him to comfort himself that she is not even on the list. But as he tracks down the five on the list to see if he can figure out what went wrong, he begins to admit to himself that he is deeply wounded, and not just because he feels threatened and competitive at the thought of her new love interest (Tim Robbins). He has to allow himself to understand that "fantasies always seem really great because there aren't any problems," but that he needs to move on to reality.
Is It Any Good?
Rob asks the audience, "Do I listen to pop music because I was miserable, or am I miserable because I listen to pop music?" He spends more time talking to viewers than he does to any of the other characters in the movie, which is part of the problem. His candor and charm, both considerable, have allowed him to carry his adolescence through his 20s, and he's much more comfortable concocting the definitive list of the best side-one, track-one songs ever than he is thinking about, say, the definitive list of worthwhile things to do with his life. And he has to allow himself to be a little less self-obsessed.
Fortunately, the "professional appreciator" is wise enough to see how special Laura is, and that he can't just "create a sketch of a decent, sensitive guy;" he can actually become one.
Movie Details
Studio: Disney, Director: Stephen Frears
Run time: 113 minutes
Theatrical release: 3/31/2000
MPAA Rating: R for language, and sexual references
Run time: 113 minutes
Theatrical release: 3/31/2000
MPAA Rating: R for language, and sexual references
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Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
Know your child...
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
I love this movie
I love watching this movie every single time. There is some objectional stuff, but you can see that from the little sidebar chart thing. People have sex and drop massive F-bombs. Great story, great music, great commedy. My favorite part is how they show the reality of relationships, and how they really work, while still being good and funny, unlike The Break-Up, which sucked.
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