New York Magazine - USA (2020-02-17)

76 newyork| february17–march1, 2020

duringoneofthemany list-makingconversationsinHulu’sHighFidelity,a
debateensuesaboutthetop-fivemusicalreinventionsofalltime.WhenSimon
(DavidH.Holmes),anemployeeat ChampionshipVinyl,mentionsCyndiLauperandher
MemphisBluesalbum,heis shouteddownbyfriendandco-workerCherise(Da’VineJoy
Randolph),whosaysLauper’sdecisiontorecorda singlebluesalbumdoesn’t count.Then
Rob(ZoëKravitz),theownerofChampionshipVinyl,chimesinwithherownopinionof
Lauper’s 20 10 release:“It’ssurprisinglyunterrible.”
HighFidelity, a music-focusedreinventioninitsownright,is alsosurprisinglyunterrible.
TheTVadaptationof NickHornby’s 1995 novel,whichwaspreviously
madeintoa faithful 2000 filmadaptationstarringJohnCusackand
thena Broadwaymusicalthat ranforonlytendays,alsohewsclosely
tothesourcematerial,at least ini keepingwithHighFidelity’s
musicalsensibilities,it seemscorrect todescribetheshownotasa
remake butasaninteresting,funcoveroftheclassicoriginal.
ThesimilaritiesbetweenHornby’sbook,thefilmdirectedby

tv / theater / books

StephenFr ears,andthestreamingversion

developedbyVeronicaWestandSarah

Kucserka,whopreviouslyworkedonsuch

showsasUglyBetty,Chicago Fire,andBull,

announcethemselvesprettyloudly. As the

seriesbegins,Rob(short forRobin)is deal-

ingwiththerecentendofherrelationship

withfiancéMac(Kingsley Ben-AdirofThe

OA) andre flectingonwhy herromances

alwayshittheskids.Like theRobsbefore

her,shedecidestohuntdownthefivemost

significantexesinherlifetofigureoutwhat

shedidwrong.AlsolikepreviousRobs,she

is a pop-musicsavantwhoownsanapart-

mentfilledwithrecordsandfullybuysinto

theideathatthethingspeoplelike are

muchmoreimportantthanwhat they’re

like.Pop-culturepreferencesequalperson-

ality inhermind.

Rob’sworkplacelooksprettyidenticalto

theoneinthenovelandthefilm:Her

record storeis a business,butit’s alsoa des-

ignatedlocationwhere sheandhertwoco-

workerscanargueaboutplaylistsallday.

Simonis theequivalentofDickfromthe PHOTOGRAPH: PHILLIP CARUSO/HULU

The CULTURE PAGES

CRITICS

Jen Chaney on High Fidelity ... Helen Shaw on Hamlet ...

Molly Young on Romance in Marseille.

HIGHFIDELITY

HULU.

TV/ JENCHANEY

45sandHeartbreak

A newHighFidelitybroadensthevisionof

theoriginalinmorewaysthanone.

From left, David H. Holmes,

Zoë Kravitz, and

Da’ Vine Joy Randolph.