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