Seen on: October 4, 2008

The players: Director: Pete Sollett, Writer: Lorene Scafaria, Cast: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Ari Graynor, Rafi Gavron, Alexis Dziena

Facts of interest: Based on the novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.

The plot: Nick (Cera) and Norah (Dennings) spend an incredible chaotic but eventually magical night in New York City.

Our thoughts: Peter Sollett’s “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” has enough rhythm to maintain the audience’s attention for 90 minutes, but the film definitely lacks the surprise factor we’ve come to appreciate in this new genre of teenage comedies. It’s a shame, really, because the movie holds plenty of unexploited potential.

Based on the popular book by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, the film introduces us to Nick (Michael Cera), a young musician who really struggles to get past the breakup with his ex-girlfriend Tris (Alexis Dziena). Things change however when he runs into Norah (Kat Dennings), who pretty much always plays by the rules and has nothing in common with Nick except for her taste in music.

Before they know it, Nick and Norah find themselves driving across New York City in search for their favorite band’s secret concert location. Little do they know that this one chaotic night filled with surprises will finally enable them to put their pasts behind and discover they have indeed a lot more in common than they originally thought. 

If you’re in for musical overkill, “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” is definitely for you. The film’s soundtrack really seems infinite, because not one minute goes by without a new track starting to play in the background. Now, I don’t have anything against music, but the omnipresence of songs often makes the movie feel like a long music video or a commercial for the latest must-have iPod playlist.

What annoyed more though is the lack of an interesting enough story line. Looking at the development of the plot from a broader perspective, there’s not much essence or innovation to discover in “Nick and Norah.” After all, the only thing we get to see is a group of young people driving around in search for a band. Oh, and there’s also the drunken girl they lost along the way, and the annoying ex who’s jealous to see Nick hanging out with Norah.

Although the absence of a more intriguing story did bother me at times, I have to admit I still found the film to be quite entertaining, primarily because of the flawless chemistry between Cera and Dennings. The two easily connect in the movie early on, and while their exchanges of dialogue or jokes don’t always fly, they both turn in energetic enough performances to keep the crowd engaged.

Freaky quote: “Awesome. Awesome night." – Michael Cera

The final word: I know I said a lot of negative stuff about “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” but that doesn’t mean I hated it. I definitely had an enjoyable time watching this night unfold, but I felt a little irritated to see the filmmakers could’ve easily done a whole lot more with the interesting basic concept.

Article by Franck Tabouring