Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)

Nick and Norah seem like nice enough people. And it seems like they had a fun enough evening. It's just too bad it was so laid back it almost doesn't seem interesting enough to make a movie about.

Nick (Michael Cera) is a low-confidence high school senior recently dumped by his girlfriend. Norah (Kat Dennings) is a high school senior as well as the daughter of a recording industry executive. She seemingly spends all her time though being the caretaker of her irresponsible best friend, Caroline. Nick's band mates drag him out of the house to play a concert. Norah is there, walks up to Nick, and kisses him to prove to a school acquaintance she isn't alone. And the rest of the night stems from there with a missing drunken friend, a search for the mystery location of a favorite band's concert, and the looming ex-girlfriend and ex-boyfriend of the title characters.

Cera and Dennings bring charm and realism to their roles. They're likable and their relationship is believable. Ari Graynor as Norah's friend Caroline brings comic relief with her drunken escapades without becoming too annoying. Nick's band mates deliver some amusing one liners and a kind support system. The indie music provides a fun background. Now if only they could all have taken their trip in about a half hour less. What could be a madcap adventure crawls slowly through the evening. Everything that happens before the concert was filmed 6 months into post-production. Those scenes of course made the movie longer but it also gave some depth to the characters so adding that wasn't a bad choice. Either director Peter Sollett needed to move everyone along while filming or the editor Myron Kerstein needed to cut down a few scenes.

Overall it's a decent movie that teenagers and many adults can find enjoyable enough.

Rating: 3/5
Recommended for: those who miss George Michael from Arrested Development

Extended Review: Although the film starts out with steadicam shots that make the viewer feel like they're alternately swaying or just tilting his/her head side to side, luckily for our stomachs, the cinematography gets much better as the film goes on. Although since the beginning was filmed later, perhaps the cinematography was good and then the "hurry up, let's get this done so we can add it" was what suffered. Either way, the closing shot is what really deserves a mention. Michael Cera walking in place on the down escalator was amusing. They took that movement and went with it and Cera and Dennings' heads moving through the frame like a heart was a cute choice. (Not to mention so much more preferable than them dancing the night away at that rooftop concert or worse yet, a freeze frame at the end of dancing.)