To infinity and beyond!

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist goes on forever and ever and ever…

By Kathleen Keish
Published: October 7th, 2008 | 4:50pm

I wanted to like Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. I really did.

And who wouldn’t? The movie has all those ingredients that would make it a seemingly perfect movie for a low-key Friday night; a good cast, a good soundtrack, and a plot adapted from a pretty decent read.

But in the ways I expected this movie to succeed, it failed, and miserably so.

To be clear, I absolutely adore Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. They are two of Indie-wood’s most anticipated up-and-comers, with a handful of commercial and critical successes under their belts. Dennings is best known for her comedic roles in films such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Charlie Bartlett, while Cera won the hearts of many a female fan (including myself) in last year’s hit, Juno. But what makes them work so well in those movies is what made their pairing in this film at times painfully awkward.

Cera portrays Nick, an indie-emo rockstar wannabe who is still pining over his most recent breakup. He does all that an indie kid is expected to do in the throes of heartache, taking ‘mental health’ days and leaving mixed CDs on his ex’s doorstep. Dennings portrays Norah, a pragmatic teen with a famous father who has looked for love in all the wrong places, but is unwilling to step out of the limelight of her more attention-seeking friends, one of whom is the ex Nick can’t shake from his mind. They are thrown together one crazy New York night when both emerge from their respective pity parties to track down their favorite fictional indie band, Where’s Fluffy.

Seperately, Cera and Dennings work their magic throughout the film in brief moments of hilarity. Cera has a gift for subtle, deadpan humor that separates him from his peers and this brand of comedy is expertly applied to his role as a mopey emo teen. Also, Cera has a skill for delivering lines which, had they been said by any other teen heartthrob, would sound like something from a Nicholas Sparks’ novel. Dennings is very becoming as his female counterpart, who oozes wit and sarcasm with a pout that puts ScarJo to shame. But together, the two only seem to succeed in demonstrating a love-hate relationship in which they love to hate each other. Though their constant bickering and petty arguments seemed meant to mask their inner turmoil and tortured longing, I found myself wondering if this romantic comedy would actually have some romance in it.

Though Cera and Dennings do not win the award for best on-screen couple, their cast mates were successful in making up for what chemistry they lacked. Nick’s friends and fellow bandmates, portrayed by Aaron Yoo, Rafi Gavron, and Jonathan B. Wright, are gay, charming, and hilarious, urging Nick and Norah together while embarking on hijinks of their own. The escapades all come to meet when Norah’s lush of a best friend, Caroline (portrayed by Ari Graynor), runs away from Nick’s friends after they offer to take her home. All the while, they are searching for their mysterious indie band AND attempting to find true love.

Even describing the plot is a tedious task, and watching it was no different. Each subplot seemed condensed and not much was elaborated upon, quickly jumping from point A to point B to point C without ever ending at point Z. Also, I was confused as to whether the film was taking itself seriously at times. Obscure indie bands are frequently name-dropped and the straight edge lifestyle is referred to, but when Cera’s character actually utters the words, “I liked such-and-such band before they were popular,” I was curious as to whether the movie was attempting to be pretentious or was merely poking fun at the hipster lifestyle.

Though this film is a veritable showcase for up-and-coming talent, both cinematic and musical, its potential was weakened by lackluster chemistry and a muddled plot. While it may be a must-see for the diehard Pitchfork crowd, I’d rather wait for something with a little more depth and a lot more clarity.