I started forgetting about Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist the second I walked out of the theatre. I had to pay a visit to IMDB just to remember some of the characters’ names, and I know there were funny lines but I can’t remember any of them. It’s not that it’s a bad movie, by any means–it’s just that it’s lightweight, like a piece of store-brand cheesecake that tastes good but is not even remotely memorable.
It’s not the fault of the actors–they all do a fine job, even the minor ones. Michael Cera’s Nick is mopey and lovelorn, pining after the girl that broke his heart. It’s plain to everyone else that his slutty ex, Tris (Alexis Dziena), doesn’t deserve him, but he continues to make mix CD’s for her and stare longingly at pictures of the two of them together. Tris’s school-pal frenemy, Norah, (Kat Denning) is the typical slightly geeky girl (of the music nerd variety) who doesn’t know how pretty she is. She’s been scooping Nick’s mixes out of the trash for months, but has never met the guy … which comes in handy when she later pulls a stranger in for a kiss to prove to Tris she’s there with a boyfriend, and the stranger turns out to be Nick himself. Nick’s gay bandmates immediately conspire to bring Nick and Norah together with a brilliant two-part plan: a) get Norah to switch over to a push-up bra they just happen to have in their van and b) take custody of Norah’s drunk friend Caroline (Ari Graynor, who nearly steals the movie) so the pair can get some quality time together while cruising around New York in Nick’s yellow Yugo. They spend all night searching for the secret show fictitious band “Where’s Fluffy?” is playing somewhere in the city, and everyone’s rooting for them to fall in love. But will they?
Denning and Cera have a chemistry that makes you want to pinch both of their cheeks and feed them cookies. I’ve adored Michael Cera since the moment he uttered his first word on Arrested Development, but I’m starting to have the tiniest of concerns that he might only be good at playing different variations of the same adorable dork. He’s still enjoyable, but I worry about his career longevity. (I say this with love, Cera!)
Ultimately, “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” is guilty of trying too hard. Aside from a few references to the kids’ college plans, the entire thing could have played as a storyline for disaffected twenty- or even thirty-somethings rather than high school seniors. These are supposed to be the uncool kids-destined-for-coolness, but from minute one it’s clear they’re anything but uncool. It’s true that all teen movies bank on stereotypes, but the stereotypes in “Nick and Norah’s…” feel groundless, to the point that the defining issues of being a teenager–largely stemming from trying to figure out who you are–seem to fade away. These kids have it more together than a lot of adults I know, but it’s like watching 17-year olds act out a play; they’re cute and entertaining, but there’s no real emotional weight behind the things they do and say because they’re too young to do and say them.
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