'High Fidelity': Hulu's reboot of the classic 2000 film brings in viable modern elements
Spoiler alert for the Hulu series 'High Fidelity' (2020)
Nick Hornby's 1995 novel 'High Fidelity' was adapted into a critically acclaimed romantic comedy-drama by Stephen Frears in 2000. While the movie brought a slew of appreciation for music remedies, the Hulu series reboot of the film brings about a modern era of change that gives the classic a sweeter relatable taste.
The series follows the main narrative of its original source. It stars Zoe Kravitz who plays the protagonist, Robin Brooks aka Rob, the gender-flipped version of John Cusack's Rob Gordon in the movie. A record store owner who's just simply bad at love revisits her top past heartbreaks. While the film came out in the 2000s with the remnants of the 90s stylish combat look, the series seems to have acclimatized its delivery to this day and age.
The original film took place in Chicago and most have noticed that it stayed true to the cities charm from local Chi (slang for Chicago) music sprinkled in the film down to the fact that Rob and Barry wear authentic Chicago T-shirts. The series, on the other hand, took the heartbreak plight to the streets of Crown Heights, Brooklyn New York.
While this may seem like a modern aspect that lacks noticeable luster, we can debate on the fact that New York is considered to be the city where wish-upon-a-star dreams come true. Bringing a classic narrative to New York brought the aspect of the city's contribution to the music industry. An ode to the honesty in the lyrics of Alicia Key and Jay-Z's tribute to the city of lights with the song 'New York'.
The series also seems to have diversified its cast as many pointed out that the 2000 film had a majority of white cast members with the exception of Lisa Bonet, who's the series headliner Zoe Kravitz's mother. The series, on the other hand, has cast actors of color such as Kravitz, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Kingsley Ben-Adir. It is a reflection of the current social-economic pressures that have been considered insufferable when it comes to race.
It is also important to notice that the series has given the protagonist a level of relatable depth by making her character queer. If you didn't catch it, Rob's 'top 5 heartbreaks' includes both men and women. Not to mention, the character of Simon played by David H Holmes is a gay man.
Kravitz's Rob takes a stab in a digital age where young adults are working to either forcefully back out of love, or blindly walk into it. The inclusion of modern-day Brooklyn has taken a dominant classic and given it a subtle reality that every person can be broken down into a playlist.
Also, if you need any more indication that the series has taken the millennial struggles into consideration, check out Rob's cracked phone screen.
'High Fidelity' premiered on February 14, 2020, and all episodes are now streaming on Hulu.