“I have to say my all-time favorite book is Johnny Cash‘s autobiography Cash by Johnny Cash.” This indelible line, as uttered by John Cusack in the 2000 cult comedy classic High Fidelity, will be stuck in my brain until the end of time. It does not appear in the trailer for the new take on High Fidelity — a Hulu series starring and executive produced by Zoë Kravitz (Big Little Lies, The Batman). And while many things about the news series will feel familiar to die-hard Fidelity-heads — the device of talking to the camera, the love of top 5 lists, the structure of visiting exes — many things will feel brand-spankin’ new. Including, it would seem, no uttering of a Johnny Cash autobiography. Which is fine, I guess.
Image via Hulu
Based not just on the 2000 film but on the 1995 Nick Hornby novel, the new High Fidelity stars Kravitz as Rob, a cynical, disaffected, down-on-her-luck record store owner in Brooklyn (adjusted from Chicago in the film, adjusted from London in the novel). How does she spend her days? Dicking around with coworkers Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Dolemite Is My Name) and David H. Holmes (The Tick), obsessing over the minutiae of pop culture, and pining over the heartbreaks that seem to be defining her life plateau. Then, to try and get out of this rut, she decides to visit her “top 5 breakups,” the exes that fucked her up the most. Will rekindling her connections with Jake Lacy, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ivanna Sakhno, Thomas Doherty, and — surprise! — Holmes help her get her life back on track?
Writers Veronica West and Sarah Kucserka have been developing this new take for quite some time, and I’m excited to see what they have in store. It looks as though the DNA of what’s enjoyable about the original versions still shines through, while sidestepping its possible problematics of “the entitled, angry, white male protagonist who wants the girl.” Plus: Kravitz is a sterling, underrated talent who deserves a chance to shine in a role unlike anything we’ve seen her play before.
Check out the trailer and synopsis for High Fidelity below. The series comes to Hulu February 14. For more Valentine’s Day romance trailers, check out the pairings of Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield in The Photograph, and Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville in Ordinary Love. Plus: the best TV shows on Hulu right the heck now.
A departure from Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel and beloved 2000 film, Hulu’s High Fidelity centers on Rob (Zoë Kravitz, who also serves as an executive producer), a female record store owner in the rapidly gentrified neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn who revisits past relationships through music and pop culture, while trying to get over her one true love. High Fidelity also stars Da’Vine Joy Randolph, David H. Holmes, Jake Lacy, and Kingsley Ben-Adir.
