USA TODAY International Edition
‘ High Fidelity’ takes millennial spin
It can be tricky when TV shows try to portray the millennial experience. Sometimes creators fail spectacularly. Other times what shows up on screen is so real it hurts.
Hurt, anger, sadness, and love are some of the emotions younger viewers might experience in Hulu’s remake of “High Fidelity” starring Zoe Kravitz ( streaming Friday, ★★★★ a piercing and relatable look at one woman’s struggle to find lasting love in New York.
Kravitz takes over the lead role that John Cusack played in the beloved 2000 film, and rather than rehashing an old story ( although there are plenty of callbacks), “Fidelity” creators Sarah Kucserka and Veronica West (“Ugly Betty”) craft something singular and stunning. The series is a love story that is neither fairy tale nor entirely cynical, with a cast of electric actors who seem destined for great things.
Like the original film and the Nick Hornby novel on which it’s based, Hulu’s “Fidelity” centers on Rob Gordon ( only now it’s short for Robyn), the proprietor and sometimes DJ of Championship Records.
A year after Mac ( Kingsley Ben- Adir) walked out on her, Rob still isn’t quite over him, but she tries dating again and meets the unassuming nice guy Clyde ( Jake Lacy), and there might be a spark if only she can pay attention to him long enough. A chance encounter with Mac has her reeling about her inability to be in a successful relationship, so she begins a journey to get in touch with the Top 5 men and women who broke her heart.
The cast is filled out by Rob’s two record store employees – Simon ( David H. Holmes), an unambitious music fanatic who made the list of Rob’s heartbreaks after he came out as gay and broke up with her; and Cherise ( Da’Vine Joy Randolph), a boisterous wannabe musician who can’t figure out how to start that career.
“Fidelity” works as a new take on a well- known story while standing on its own. Elements from the book and film are playfully reimagined here, including the fourth- wall- breaking narration and the iconic primeval shriek of “What Ian guy?!” from Cusack when he finds out his ex has a new beau.
The narrative is updated for 2020, with references to Tinder and a struggle to keep the record store in business in the age of Spotify. The series also is achingly accurate in its portrayal of the period of young adulthood when some friends move on to marriage and kids and others still party just as hard as ever. The writing is sharp and concise, and at 10 half- hour episodes, it feels exactly the right length.
Rob is not perfect by any means, and it’s a huge credit to Kravitz’s performance and innate charm that she remains likable despite revelations of past wrongs. She hurts and causes hurt, just like the rest of us. Kravitz, whose mother Lisa Bonet starred in the film, imbues Rob with a cool factor emphasized by the character’s bohemian wardrobe and distaste for Instagram influencers and gentrification. She has chemistry with nearly every romantic or platonic foil she faces.
However, Holmes is the series’ big breakout. In a late- season episode that spins the camera away from Rob and gives Simon a chance to recount his heartbreaks, Holmes is so magnetic, and such a natural leading man, that you might wish “Fidelity” had been about him instead. A major flaw is the underuse of Randolph, who had a starmaking turn in last year’s “Dolemite Is My Name” alongside Eddie Murphy. Simon’s episode begs to be followed up with one from Cherise’s point of view, especially one that makes her a romantic hero like Rob and Simon.
Romantic comedies have so many tropes and predictable punchlines that the whole genre has become a cliché. It can be hard to remember why stories of love and loss, balanced with just enough humor, became so popular in the first place.
“Fidelity” isn’t revolutionary, but it’s just nuanced enough to remind us how affecting a first date and a tear- filled breakup can be.
It’s a new look for the formerly masculine, Gen X “Fidelity” story, but it’s got the same great flavor.