Film Gecko

"Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist" Review

by Jane Boursaw on October 9th, 2008

By Amanda Perez, Gecko Reviewer

Like my co-reviewer, Jane, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist ran right up my alley. Sadly though, the best part about this movie is its soundtrack.

The movie stars Michael Cera as Nick, the sensitive emo rocker-type who recently had his heart crushed by Tris the man eater (Alexis Dziena). Norah, played by Kat Dennings, goes to school with Tris, but only knows of Nick through the CDs he burns in an attempt to win back Tris’ heart.

Nick and Norah meet by a chance encounter at one of Nick’s shows. The two end up together in an all night quest split between two treasures — their favorite band and Norah’s drunken best friend Caroline, played by a young Tatum O’Neal look-alike (Ari Graynor).

More after the jump…

I understand that Nick and Norah are not suppose to have anything in common other than their taste in music, but the filmmakers may have taken that too literally. The lack of chemistry between these two actors ate away at the film. Michael Cera owns that sensitive guy character as we saw in Juno, Arrested Development, and again in Nick and Norah. Kat Dennings nails the unhappy teenage girl role like we saw in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and now in Nick and Norah. Unfortunately these two positives only create a negative.

This is probably the most modern hipster movie to date. The soundtrack is filled with bands like Vampire Weekend and Bishop Allen. Plus Nick, a straightedge teenager, is in a queercore band with his two gay band mates. It’s refreshing to see the presence of Nick’s gay friends treated so casually, because let’s face it, most teenagers these days in the hipster scene have a gay friend or two. A nice attempt done by director Peter Sollett and screenwriter Lorene Scafaria, but the characters still came off as “the gay friends.”

The music really sets the tone of the movie nicely. I guess it would have to with a name like Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Buy the soundtrack instead of seeing the movie in the theater. It’s a better investment.

Jane’s Take: I’m in complete agreement with Amanda’s review. My 13-year-old son and I saw it, and I thought some of the content edged more towards 15-year-olds. And after the first few minutes, we looked at each other and said, “This movie is so lame,” which bummed us out, because we love Michael Cera. This movie just doesn’t work on so many levels.  

Images: Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Columbia Pictures, 2008

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