High Fidelity

Using on-screen narration as a form of therapy and musical pop culture references as philosophy, John Cusack plays the bitterness of being dumped with droll aplomb in this fantastically observant and acerbic dark comedy about a used record store owner tracking down the top five girls who broke his heart in an attempt to understand what he keeps doing wrong with women. Cusack (who also co-adapted the script from Nick Hornsby's book) and director Stephen Frears strike exactly the right balance between self-indulgent brooding and wall-to-wall wry wit in this hilarious film that could be a mature and more accomplished extension of Cusack's teen comedies of the 1980s. Catherine Zeta-Jones (uncredited) and Lili Taylor co-star as polar opposite exes, with Tim Robbins as Cusack's latest girlfriend's (Iben Hjejle) pretentious new beau. Highly recommended. (R. Blackwelder)