I love the book and movie for Nick Hornby's book High Fidelity so much, but the thought of a High Fidelity musical, with original tunes raeplacing the soundtrack that was so necessary for that book and film, makes me vomit in my mouth a little.
My Top 5 John Cusack Movies:
1. High Fidelity: a main character who is an asshole, and freely admits it. I thought Rob was a pretty realistic character: a guy could identify with the recognizable record crate full of male neurosis and insecurities. One of the few book-to-movie translations that worked for me. Plus a killer soundtrack.
2. Say Anything - the ultimate date movie, so much so that most of the women I know think this should be number 1 on the list. Gives hope to every guy that they can date outside of their league. That "holding the boombox outside her window" scene is a classic. Writer-director Cameron Crowe was at his best with Cusack, so maybe they should collaborate again. Piven points*
3. Grosse Pointe Blank - another killer soundtrack, a fun off-beat movie that plays a lot better than the basic concept "hitman goes to his ten-year high school reunion". I loved the chemistry between Minnie Driver and John Cusack, and extra Piven points ("Ten! Years!") Rumours of a sequel have floated about for ages.
4. The Grifters - one of my favourite dramatic performances, John is a con artist, who gets entangled in a battle of with his mother and his girlfriend, who are also both con artists or grifters. Definitely not played for laughs. You can taste the desperation in this character based film, and it taste like copper pennies.
5. One Crazy Summer - a sentimental favourite. It's a goofy, lightweight "how I spent the summer" teen comedy. I remember it as the movie that made my laugh out loud during one of my first trips to visit my mom after my parent's divorce. It gave me laughs, I give it loyalty in return. The finale of the centers around a regatta in which the everyman teens must beat the rich snobs at the yacht club. A young Demi Moore as the love interest and a return of Curtis "Booger" Armstrong as Cusack's best friend (the two were great in Better Off Dead, which would be #6 on this list). Was Curtis Armstrong used only whenever Jeremy Piven isn't available? Nope, cause Piven's in this one too.
*Just how many movies have John Cusack and Jeremy Piven appeared in together?
One Crazy Summer (1986)
Say Anything (1989)
The Grifters (1990)
Bob Roberts (1992)
The Player (1992)
Gross Pointe Blank (1997)
Serendipity (2001)
Runaway Jury (2003)
A close second are the Tim Robbins/John Cusack collaborations:
The Sure Thing (1985)
Tapeheads (1988)
Bob Roberts (1992) (Cusack/Piven/Robbins) trifecta
The Player (1992) (Cusack/Piven/Robbins) trifecta
Cradle Will Rock (1999) (Robbins directing Cusack)
High Fidelity (2000)
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1 comment:
high fidelity is in my 'top 5 all time movies, ever' and john cusack is in my 'top 5 actors'. the book was brilliant and the ardent anglophile in me was a little disappointed when i read that the movie would be an american production. john cusack cemented his spot in my heart by fighting to keep the essential 'britishness' in the film. i could watch it every single day and not get bored :)
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