Summary
High Fidelity is a surprise hit; Zoë Kravitz shines in a fresh, quirky and diverse adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel.
Hulu series High Fidelity season 1 will be released on the platform on Feb 14, 2020 — this is a remake of the 1995 novel and the 2000 film, hailed as a gender-swapped reboot.
I had zero knowledge of the source material before I watched Hulu’s High Fidelity. I unusually went in blind, feeling safe in the knowledge that rising-star Zoë Kravitz was taking the lead as a record-store owner in a fresh-looking drama-comedy. And I was absorbed; Zoe plays Rob, a heartbroken Brooklyn resident that ponders love, music, pop culture, and top-five lists. I had the benefit of not having anything to compare the 10-episode series to…
And I was impressed.
Some will likely believe it strays from the original while others will think it’s a great cover of the source material, but regardless, the consensus is that this adaptation is really good and I agree. It vibes with audiences with the love for music and Zoe’s absorbing attempts to break the fourth wall keep audiences engaged and at her fingertips.
Like the other adaptations, and from what I’m led to believe, High Fidelity Season 1 follows a similar path. After Rob suffers another heartbreak and setback, she wallows in self-pity, creating top five lists, obsessing over music playlists and wondering why her relationships always hit the dirt path. She revisits her exes and wonders what went wrong while trying to run a record store.
Without research, I would not have known that the 2019 reboot was a gender swap, but what I find missing from the previews is that many outlets fail to mention that Rob is a person of color and sexually fluid — one of her exes is a woman. I tend to stray on the side of “make original stories” but High Fidelity 3.0 proves that with fresh writing mixed with nostalgic elements, you can make a real story out of seen-before sources.
I was amused by Rob’s wallowing approach to life, summoning playlists to understand her state of mind and rummaging through her exes to understand that romantic need. The music that shines through the Hulu series is on-point and helps the binge. Zoë Kravitz’s take on the character is absorbing and engaging. Hulu series High Fidelity could be an early contender for one of the best series on their platform this year — it’s a fresh, quirky and a diverse adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel.
