Sound Opinions at the Movies screening: High Fidelity at the Music Box Theatre, Wednesday, Oct. 24

The popular Sound Opinions at the Movies series continues with a screening of High Fidelity, the critically acclaimed story of a record store owner’s heartache and love and the songs that have carried him through them, at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Avenue, Thursday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. Chicago Public Media’s national Sound Opinions broadcast is co-hosted by acclaimed pop music critics Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune and Jim DeRogatis of WBEZ.org and reaches more than 400,000 taste makers each week through radio broadcasts and a popular podcast.

When Rob Gordon (John Cusack), a pre-hip Wicker Park record store owner and compulsive list-maker, gets dumped by his girlfriend because he hasn’t changed since they met, he revisits his top five breakups of all time in an attempt to figure out what went wrong. In a hilarious homage to the music scene, Rob and the wacky off-beat clerks that inhabit his store (Jack Black and Todd Luiso) expound on the intricacies of life and song while trying to succeed in their adult relationships. Are they listening to pop music because they are miserable or are they miserable because they are listening to pop music? This romantic comedy provides a whimsical glimpse into the indefinable affairs of the heart that only music can capture. High Fidelity features music by The Kinks, The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Stevie Wonder, and many other classic mix-tape staples.

Celebrating the central role record stores play in the film, local record stores Laurie’s Planet of Sound, Dusty Groove and Dave’s Records will be present at the Music Box with their own list of top albums for attendees to check out at the event at special listening stations with equipment from Grain Audio.

“High Fidelity truly is a Sound Opinions kind of movie: a chronicle of musical obsessiveness, but of the generous sort devoted to making converts to beloved sounds, and based in Chicago, no less, complete with scenes at the late, lamented Lounge Ax,” says Jim DeRogatis. “And that scene where John Cusack’s Rob Gordon says, ‘I will now sell five copies of The Three EPs by the Beta Band’ — priceless!”

“Anybody who has made or been inspired by a mix tape, walked into an indie record store on a whim and walked out with a life-changing record, or associated specific songs with life-changing moments,” says Greg Kot, “Have we got a movie for you!”

Tickets for the Sound Opinions at the Movies screening of High Fidelity at the Music Box are $10 in advance ($9 for WBEZ members) by purchase on line at www.soundopinions.org. Tickets will also be available at the door for $12.

Chicago Public Media is an institution that creates award-winning content for people seeking to learn more about the issues and ideas that affect our community, our nation, and our world. In addition to Sound Opinions, Chicago Public Media produces programs such as This American Life, Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me! (a co-production with NPR), The Morning Shift, The Afternoon Shift, Worldview, and Radio M. Chicago Public Media operates WBEZ 91.5 FM, one of the country’s premiere public radio stations, and Vocalo 89.5 FM and 90.7 FM, a next generation service that seeks to expand the reach of public media.  For more information, visitwww.soundopinions.org.