"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" delivered what any typical teen comedy does -- silly sexual innuendo, lapses of judgment and a few random love tracks playing in the background here and there. While watching this film, I couldn't help but think of Judd Apatow's insanely hilarious sense of humor mixed with the '80s teen story, "Pretty in Pink."
The film takes place in New York. Nick (Cera), a young musician, is struggling to get over the breakup from his conniving temptress of a girlfriend, Tris. You can't help but feel sorry for the guy, though, in his feeble and pathetic attempts to deal with his emotions. His efforts include lengthy messages to her voicemail as he wallows in an overdramatic sadness by staring at their many pictures and leaving intricate and finely-detailed CD mixes on her doorstep -- which Tris merely throws in the trash. Norah (Dennings), the sarcastic young gal who is the doormat for all of her friends, takes the CD from the trash. It's cute to watch how the story develops with him as a musician and her love for his music and mixes.
As Nick and Norah go out separately, the audience can't help but laugh at the serendipity of their later meeting. Norah takes care of her drunken friend as Nick plays with his band, The Jerk-Offs. The comedy kicks off when Norah uses Nick as her pretend boyfriend after Tris confronts her, with her latest guy by her side. The twist is that Norah doesn't realize Nick is Tris' ex; at first, the typical teen embarrassment steps in here, as Norah regrets her actions -- but soon forgets those feelings when the two scamper off to find a secret concert by one of the hot bands of the city, while Nick's friends take Norah's now-completely-boozed-up friend home.
As their relationship develops, the blossoming of awkward teenage insecurities show up. The writers pull off some quirky-yet-simplistically funny phrases that have the audience laughing at Cera and Dennings. Director Peter Sollett is not one to be judged on this film for its cinematography or technical storyline, but give credit where credit is due: He delivers a creative and charismatic vision that almost any young adult can watch and relate to. Talks of "Remember that friend with benefits you had? That was a bad call," and other topics relating to the film show how it touched the viewers.
The movie is nerdy, yet it has a sense of charm that delivers a pretty comical performance with a hint of romance.
My only hope for the future regarding Cera and Dennings is that they break out into new characters and are not stuck in the same nice-guy-but-nerdy and sarcastic-and-rebellious ruts. As funny as the two are in these roles, I'm sure they can break out into some new personas. The soundtrack is a hit for those into the younger indie rock scene, so if you are into that musical genre you will enjoy the sounds played throughout the film.
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