Review: Nick & Norah

Plot: Nick (Michael Cera), a sensitive high school student/ indie rocker, has recently been dumped by his girlfriend. One night, while playing a gig with his band- The Jerk Offs, he runs into Norah (Kat Dennings), another sensitive indie rocker who just might be his soul mate. The two embark on a hipster tour of NYC- in search of a top secret gig by a mythical band called Fluffy. Much hip-ness ensues…

Review: I don’t think I’m quite hip enough to dig NICK & NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST. The film simply did not work for me at all- which is a shame as I consider myself a huge Michael Cera fan. I’m a fervent devotee of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, and I loved both SUPERBAD & JUNO. In NICK & NORAH- he’s likable as always, but he’s not enough to save this film- which obviously aspires to be this generation’s AMERICAN GRAFFITI, but misses the mark by a wide margin.


The biggest problem with this film is that it tries too damn hard to be culty & hip, and as a result- it’s neither.. Another huge flaw is that the film’s pacing is- shall we say, deliberate. It moves so s-l-o-w-l-y that once the credits rolled, I was shocked to discover that I had only been sitting in the theater for 90 minutes, as the film seems much, much longer. While I have nothing against a film that eschews the typical MTV/ ADD pacing of most modern teen movies, this just rambles on and on at such a leisurely pace that it seems positively geriatric.

I also really disliked Kat Dennings as Nora. I have nothing against her personally (loved her in 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, and thought she was great in CHARLIE BARTLET), I simply did not like her character or the way she played it. Throughout the film she comes off as a bit of an entitled brat- and it’s not a good thing in a romantic comedy when you’re rooting for the characters NOT to end up together.


Its numerous flaws aside; there are a few good things about the film. There’s a couple of great cameos in it, and none other than Jay Baruchel pops up at one point as Nora’s on again/ off again boyfriend. Baruchel you usually plays dorky nice guys, and it was nice to see him stretch himself, as he plays a real rake in this (although his Noo-Yawk accent was maybe a tad overdone).

Also- as the film is mainly about two characters bonding over music, the soundtrack is naturally pretty decent- although for me, a little indie rock goes a long way.

Overall, I can’t really say I enjoyed NICK & NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST. While it’s not offensively bad, it more or less left me cold. I’m sure there’s an audience out there that will lap it up, but for me it’s a real non-starter.

Grade: 5.5/10

Review: Nick & Norah

BELOW AVERAGE

5
Source: JoBlo.com

About the Author

Chris Bumbray began his career with JoBlo as the resident film critic (and James Bond expert) way back in 2007, and he has stuck around ever since, being named editor-in-chief in 2021. A voting member of the CCA and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, you can also catch Chris discussing pop culture regularly on CTV News Channel.