MOVIE REVIEW: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

I swore after Juno that I would never sit through another Indie-Pop based, Michael Cera, teen love movie ever again. Well, broke that commitment today. I have nothing better to do than watch shitty movies because then I can make little comments the entire time and the person who I am watching them with, usually a girl (I’m not saying “Yeah, I watch movies with girls ALL the time,” but more often than not when I’m watching a movie, it’s with a girl), and they’ll get really pissed off, hence providing me with the enjoyment that I’m certainly not going to receive from the film.

It’s sad really, because I used to like Michael Cera. You know those guys who say “I’m like Jim Halpert meets JD from Scrubs” (And that isn’t even a random example, I went

to highschool with a kid who actually said that, as seen on the graphic at right. I wonder if either of those guys went to community college…)? I used to say that to myself about Michael Cera. But now, I’m just not so sure. I think this guy is almost TOO awkward to be me, and what’s more, his role never changes. Superbad. Juno. This most recent number, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. All The damn same, and I’m getting a little tired of it. Maybe I’m more like Jim Halpert…

Let me give you a short run-down: This guy, Nick (Cera), is in a band, and he’s heartbroken over his ex-girlfriend, who is quite bangin but a total bitch. He meets Norah (Kat Dennings), who is not nearly as hot but appreciates the emo and indie music on his iPod. Throughout the movie, these two are going around New York City with Nick’s bandmates, each of which is gay, and some gay dude they picked up at one of their shows, as well as Norah’s drunk-off-her-ass (allegedly) friend, Caroline. They’re in search of some band that’s either called Where’s Fluffy or Fluffy, I’m not really sure of which because they referred to it as both. Apparently the appeal of this band, aside from playing good music, is that you never know where their shows are going to be and have to pick up clues on the radio and in women’s toilet stalls at train stations to find out, hence the “Where’s” in the name. If a band actually did that, I can guarantee that no one would come to their shows. At the end of the movie, Nick and Norah’s love culminates in a kiss on a descending escalator, at which point I leaned over and vomited on Virginia.

Okay okay, it wasn’t that bad. It had its funny parts. Probably the best part was one showed over and over in the preview, when Nick is leaving a message on his ex-girlfriend’s phone, complaining, “You broke up with me…on mah B-Day.” Even though I knew that one-liner was coming, it still got a chuckle out of me. The fact is, if you liked Juno, then I think you’ll like this. Perhaps, not quite as much, but nearly. It’s essentially the same film, minus a teen pregnancy and a quick cameo by Rainn Wilson.

 

MY RATING: 2 out of 5

FOR A JUNO FAN: 4 out of 5