High Fidelity (2000)

Tagline: A comedy about fear of commitment, hating your job, falling in love and other pop favorites.
Cusack Plays: Record Shop Owner Rob Gordon

Family Connections: Sisters Joan and Susie both appear. Susie as 'party guest' and Joan as friend Liz. Dad Dick is the Minister at the funeral.

Top 5 things I like about High Fidelity:

1. Somehow it makes you side with and root for a guy whos a bit of a bastard and done some horrible stuff to women.
2. Stars Jack Black when he was less annoying. He steals nearly every scene he's in.
3. "What Ian guy?!!" Tim Robbins as Ian/Ray is brilliant.
4. The straight to camera monologues and breaking of the fourth wall from Cusack. Brilliant acting.
5. Bruce Springsteen is in it!

I remember when I heard they were adapting Nick Hornby's book but setting it in America I scoffed. I was wrong and pleasantly surprised. Cusack co-writes and produces a film of which he was obviously passionate about and proud of. And rightly so. There are some problems (the actress playing his most recent girlfriend Laura never really connects for me) but for the most part this comedy/drama about a record shop owner evaluating his love life and relationships in light of his most recent breakup, is a great film with lots of rewatch value. This will be one of the ones he's most fondly remembered for.




Did you know? Eagle eyed Jo spotted that the actor playing young Rob was the same dude (Drake Bell) who played his son in The Jack Bull.

Say Anything (1989)

Tagline: To know Lloyd Dobler is to love him. Diane Court is about to know Lloyd Dobler.
Cusack Plays: Lloyd Dobler, perhaps his most beloved character.

Family Connections: Sister Joan plays his sister Constance

This film, and in particular its iconic scene where he holds up the boombox, is cherished by a certain generation. Perhaps not my generation, and I don't think its as big here as in America, but it deserves to be. Lloyd Dobler doesn't know what he wants to do with his life, but he does know that he wants to be with school high flyer Diane Court. He manages to balance this romance with being a pretty cool all round good guy.

Other plots interweaving with the romance are Diane's dad (John Mahoney) being investigated for tax violations, and Lloyd's friend Corey (excellent supporting turn by Lili Taylor) writing angsty songs about her ex. Joan Cusack pops up playing his single-mother sister.

This is an 1980s teen film, which goes easy on the cheesy, avoids too many cliches and is full of great lines ( "I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen", " I am looking for a dare to be great situation") and moments. Fabulous ending too.