Nick y Nora, una noche de música y amor

When I was in Maryland to see my sister's firstborn get baptized, we both decided to see this movie when I was there. This was a nicely cutting edge teenage romantic comedy about two strangers played by Michael Cera and Kat Dennings who find out about their similarities only after their friends accidentally put them together. Cera still is pining for an ex he puts a mixed CD for while Dennings is friends with that ex. Michael's character is also a member of a band whose other members are gay while Kat's character has a girlfriend who likes to drink. And all this happens while Cera and Dennings and their friends ride around New York City all night looking for their favorite indie band. Plenty of sweet and funny (and a little gross) moments abound and while my sister and I might have a little problem with a sex scene with the leads, the romance was good enough to overcome that. So on that note, I recommend Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. P.S. There are cameos of a couple of current SNLers I pleasantly noticed right away...

Michael Cera reprises a role he does best (a good-natured dork) as high school student Nick O'Leary, the only straight guy in the mostly gay-punk group The Jerk Offs. Nick makes 'closure' CD soundtracks (up to Vol. 12!) for his bitchy ex-girlfriend Tris (Alexis Dziena, another stereotype for most annoying girl ever--originally hated her in Fool's Gold). Nick meets Tris' best friend Norah Silverberg (Kat Dennings), a mysterious, brooding type, when she asks him to play her boyfriend for a few minutes (another old trick in the book).

Just like the characters' purported awkward age, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist was painfully awkward in its acting, story and editing. There were a few highlights and seriously funny moments, but they are a sad sprinkling. Ari Graynor's antics as Caroline, Norah's drunk and ditzy friend, seemed genuine but it wasn't established how and why they remain friends. Some of the dialogue is hilarious but you are rewarded by these handouts only if you're patient enough not to sleep through this infinitely long-drawn out teen flick.

Oh, the soundtrack was perfectly ambient but not particularly memorable (which is the saddest part!), however, I thought the escalator kissing scene was really sweet.

'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist' turned out to be a sweet and cool surprise. I was just expecting another usual teen flick and while the main storyline does follow the formula, its the treatment that appealed. The director really shows that even though there is a physical attraction between the two leads, they also have characteristics that repel each other. But, what really brings these two people closer is their passionate liking for music. Both have the same taste and the best parts of the films are the sequences where the two talk about their favourite songs and singers.

The movie pretty much takes place during an entire night and Sollett's portrayal of night in the city is amusing and exciting. Lighting is cleverly used and the yellow tinted colour adds more excitement into the night. With the exception of that Spice Girls track, I like the soundtrack.

Michael Cera and Kat Dennings suit their parts wonderfully. They maintain a good chemistry (even though their love scene looks a little awkward). Aaron Yu, Rafi Gavron and Jonathan Wright provide some fun comic relief as Nick's friends/bandmembers. Ari Graynor is hilarious.

I like the title of this movie and how the movie stays true to it. It's a charming little film that is perhaps best enjoyed at night.

I had a small feeling about Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist that it was going to be a decent hit, with the popularity of Juno, not to compare, but this movie had similarities. This movie has my main pet peeve with the younger generation of today, the people who are the "I heard this band before you did so I have better taste than you do" type of mentality. The independent rock music movies are just not my thing, so I wasn't too excited to see this movie, but when some friends invited me to go see it with them, I had low expectations and actually ended up having a great time watching Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. It's honestly one of the better comedies that is out in theaters right now, although I have to admit I feel so dirty watching all these horny teenage girls, I'm a girl, and it just made me feel uncomfortable, this is how teenagers act? Scary; anyways, the story is really fun and gives you a great time laughing.

Nick is having a hard time after his rough break up with super slutty Tris, he continues to mix CD's for her that her fellow student, Norah listens too and enjoys it. By chance Norah meets Nick not knowing that it's Tris's ex and says that he's her boyfriend to show Tris that she's no prude. But when Norah learns that Nick is the ex, Nick also won't shut up about Tris, but they find out throughout the night that maybe they're musical soul mates and can really dig each other's vibe. But in the mean time with their crazy friends, they try to find their favorite band that is hidden in New York.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is definitely worth the look, I would say that it's worth full price. The only thing I have a problem with is our leading man, Michael Cera, this guy is a nice actor, but he hasn't really expanded himself into different roles, he's been playing the same character since Superbad to be honest. But I'm seeing Kat Dennings more and more, I'm enjoying her presence on screen, she's very lovely and has potential. But the person who definitely stole the show was Norah's drunk friend, Caroline played by Ari Graynor, she was just beyond hilarious and stole all the laughs. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is a great new teen comedy, though I really hope teenagers don't act like this... if they do... oh, I'm praying that our future is going to be alright.

7/10

On one particular night in New York City, an elusive band by the name of Where's Fluffy? have announced a secret concert. The word spreads through the city's underground punk scene faster than it can go out of style and before long, it reaches Nick and Norah. Nick and Norah don't know each other when this news reaches their ears but before the end of the night, they will each find something infinitely more important than Fluffy. NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST is a contemporary romantic comedy that sets itself in an entirely unconventional place and time (can you think of another way to describe a straight romance in the queer punk underground?), but presents itself in a sometimes far too conventional fashion. While it can at times be too cool for school, it is the roughness around its edges that give it an unexpected and genuine warmth. Like any finely balanced playlist, it works its way into your head and your soul.

Nick (Michael Cera) has been down as of late. It seems his fragile heart has been trampled by Tris (Alexis Dziena), a girl so clearly wrong for him but whose physical beauty is apparently capable of diverting people from noticing her lack of a soul. Norah (Kat Dennings) has some trust issues as she naturally assumes that any man interested in her is likely more interested in her connections (her dad is an enormously successful record executive). As a result, both Nick and Norah have withdrawn – not externally as they both still function amongst the other humans but they do so at arm's length. Like sleeping beauties though, they are both awoken from their waking comas by a shared impromptu kiss. Suddenly, worlds they never knew existed have become possibilities and an ordinary evening becomes an adventure. While the twists the evening takes are at times unrealistic, they do give the night and the film a sense of spontaneity that makes the viewer believe that anything can happen.

Peter Sollett is a delicate director. His first feature, RAISING VISTOR VARGAS, in which a group of Hispanic youths in New York's lower east side figure out how to stop playing and how to be themselves instead, was a singular revelation. He created a strong sense of hesitation in face of the unknown and a desire to be something more. He has an ease with creating simple, real spaces that foster intimacy and humble his characters and Nick and Norah are no exception to his treatment. Outside of these two though, the remaining ensemble are little more than comic relief and functional plot progression pieces. They can come across as occasionally transparent and one-dimensional but thankfully never enough to distract from the delightful romance budding at the center of all the chaos. Cera proves his versatility once again by showing that there are hundreds of facets to being an awkward teenager, that awkwardness does not define you but is rather just how who you are can come across. Dennings is his perfect counterpoint; she is sharp and strong, a worthy adversary, but frightened underneath it all, an ideal match. The two are so strongly suited that they transform the sometimes too facile script into something much more mature and meaningful.

NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST made me want to fall in love. It also made me laugh and swoon, delight in the magic of music and believe in the transformative properties of one crazy night. It made me long to be in New York City. It made me wish that I was that young again and that believing in possibilities was that easy to do. It may not be perfect but it is almost better that way, more real. There is something so genuine at the heart of this film that makes it almost impossible not to want for Nick and Norah to realize their potential – a potential that is just as infinite as the playlist they are about to create together.