Some of you might already know this about me, but I’ll share it for the rest of the room. I could probably count the number of movies I’ve seen that were made before the year 2001 on both hands. No real reason for it – I just wasn’t a big movie kid growing up. I didn’t really start watching movies until I was in high school and we started going to the mall every Friday night. For some reason, there’s a contingent of the SoBros Network team and fan base that really want me to watch some of the classics of yesteryear. So, I figured I’d do that and document the experiences of seeing some of these classics for the first time in 2020. Today, we’re watching High Fidelity. These are my notes.
Stoney Sees: High Fidelity
*So, if you haven’t already heard, we launched a new podcast on SoBros Network this year, ‘Drinking With…Steven McCash.’ The premise is we talk about a movie that turns 21 this year, review it, and talk about its impact on pop culture, while also drinking a cocktail with a theme pertaining to the movie. It’s a barrel of fun – so far, we’ve talked about American Psycho, Best In Show, Gladiator, and Bring It On. But, for this third round of recordings, Steven selected High Fidelity, a bit of a cult classic in its own right. This was my first viewing of the movie, and I went into it completely dark – I didn’t know if it was a comedy, a drama, a mystery, NOTHING.
Part of my process for the show is to watch, take notes, and then come up with my own review and talking points to discuss on the show. Since it’s been a year since I wrote the last edition of Stoney Sees (boy, talk about having trouble getting this one off the ground…), I figured this was a great place to rekindle the series and hopefully do more moving forward. So, here are my direct notes for that episode of Drinking With…
Notes: High Fidelity
*I know nothing about this movie except John Cusack is in it.
*Hell yeah! The old school Touchstone Pictures roll at the beginning!
*John Cusack’s hair is sick, as is the unbuttoned top button button-down
*This is a very theatrical film, and I’m very much not into that.
*I can get behind the whole ‘venture through old breakups’ angle, but man, John Cusack seems like such a whiny bitch that I don’t know who I’m supposed to side with here.
*Holy fuck that’s Jack Black – what is he doing here in the year 2000?
*Oh, we got John Cusack out here in the rain trying to win his girl back, and she got a fuckboy coming’ to the window! COLD BLOODED! Again, I don’t know if I should feel sorry for John Cusack, or laugh in his fucking face.
*Yeah, I 100% would’ve socked Jack Black right in the face in this movie.
*Probably would’ve socked this bald guy too.
*A direct quote regarding panties: “They save their best pair for the nights they know they’re going to sleep with somebody.” Why am I getting some real incel energy from John Cusack in this movie?
*Where are we going here? What is this story about? Are we just going to relive this record store owner’s love life for two hours and then ride off into the sunset?
*I feel bad for this motherfucker’s lungs the way he’s scarfing down those cigarettes.
*I don’t like people judging my musical tastes, and I feel like each one of these motherfuckers is judging me.
*Okay this version of “Baby I Love Your Way” fucks.
*This movie feels like it was made specifically for Steven McCash.
*Man, John Cusack IS a fuckin’ asshole.
*This is some miserable shit – going through your list of exes and trying to figure out what went wrong. Why is this movie making me so anxious?
*Okay, we’re back to Marie De Salle. I am 100% on board with more Lisa Bonet on my screen, hubba hubba.
*My main takeaway from this movie: I would 100% not fuck John Cusack in this movie. It’s no wonder his love life is a shit show.
*Okay, when they beat Tim Robbins’ ass, that was at least a little funny. I laughed at that.
*All in all, this movie just isn’t my cup of tea. I like ‘art imitating life,’ but at least give me some likable qualities in a main character – I don’t want to feel uneasy and anxious the whole time I’m watching…unless, of course, it’s a thriller or something. The only highlight of this movie for me was Jack Black. I’ll concede that this is quintessential John Cusack, though I don’t quite know if that’s good or bad.
One of the main components of this movie is the ‘top five’ list, so Steven asked Brandon and me for our ‘top five John Cusack movies.’ Brandon quickly replied with, “I don’t know that I can name five good John Cusack movies.” I cackled, but yeah – that’s pretty much how I feel about this movie. Sorry Steven, but you’re on an island with this one. My overall star rating: 3.46/10.
Stoney Sees Archives
- Forrest Gump (8.79/10)
- Street Fighter (2/10)
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
