Nick and Norah's Infinite Play List

Well, Jen has been requesting a post that delves into something political and heavy. I am not there yet. However, I can write a review of the teen flick that I saw last night. I heard good things about Nick and Norah's Infinite Play List, so I ordered it up via On Demand. I am big fan of feel good, teen movies. I count Ferris Buller's Day Off as one of my favorite movies of all time. I have seen The Breakfast Club, Empire Records, Pretty in Pink, Dirty Dancing, and Dazed and Confused countless times. I am programed to like Nick and Norah, and I did.

Thanks to the Fashion & Style section of the New York Times, I knew ahead of time that Nick and Norah's screenwriter Lorene Scafaria is bff's with Juno writer Diablo Cody. I consider this a good thing because I feel like these writers help me keep in touch with kids today. Or at least a highly romanticized version of the American teenager. I learned from imdb that the movie is adapted from a popular book of the same name. I am adding this novel to my long list of "books I should read soon." In my opinion, some of the characters in the movie were underdeveloped. I hope that the book will shed some light on the back story. For example, why is Jewish Norah attending a private, all girls Catholic school? The movie is a love story with bridge and tunnel teens running amuck in NYC's Lower East Side. Nick was recently dumped by his whore of an ex-girlfriend, Tris, and he can't get over her. Tris goes to school with Norah. They are frenemies. Norah has never met Nick, but she knows he has great taste in music because of the mix CD's he makes for Tris titled "Road to Closure." One special night, Tris, Norah, and their partying friend Caroline wind up at a Manhattan club where Nick's band is playing. Calamity ensues, and Nick's band-mates decide to act as match maker for Nick and Norah. After Norah gets some much needed fashion advice from the gays, the love story begins. The plot moves forward because of the teens quest to find a secret performance of their favorite indie band, Where's Fluffy.

Michael Cera is cast as the sad, witty, and adorable male lead Nick. Cera may be getting type cast (see Juno and Superbad, and Arrested Development), but it is understandable since he plays hipster/geek so well.  Kat Dennings is the privileged, sharp tongued Norah who doesn't know when she has made her point. If you are thinking who is Kat? She is the teen from 40-year-old Virgin. I found her very likable and I plan to watch some of her other movies. Warning, Ari Graynor's Caroline does things with gum that I will not soon forget. 

The dialogue is clever, but a little choppy. I had to rewind a couple of times to catch Nick and Norah's one liners. Luckily, the movie hits the mark at all the right moments. I also really enjoyed seeing NYC through the eyes of these kids. It was fun and dirty. At times, it felt like Woody Allen's 70s New York. Particularly, the scene where Norah wildly drives Nick's yellow Yugo (think Annie Hall).  The length of the movie is an 1 hr 30 min, perfect. Overall, I give this movie an A-.