Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Watching this film, I accepted the lack of real laughs in the film and just went with the movie anyway. That’s a tribute to the story, adapted from the novel by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan by first-time screenwriter Lorene Scafaria, which recalls not only Richard Linklater’s classic “Before” movies, but brought to my mind “High Fidelity” in more ways than I expected and more ways than I’ll reveal here. Like those films, I think this has the chance to surprise a lot of people with how well it sustains over the years.
Let’s start with Nick, played by Michael Cera from “Juno,” “Superbad,” and “Arrested Development.” He’s a broken hero that brought to mind Rob Gordon, the John Cusack character in “Fidelity,” and to a lesser extent, Cusack’s Lloyd Dobbler from “Say Anything…,” a young romance classic if there ever was one. What connects the three characters is an unwavering earnestness, which both Cera and Cusack display naturally in every role they play. But whereas Dobbler is a guy whose got his life figured out in terms of where he sees his going in the future, Rob and Nick are less certain.
The big hangup for both men? Women. Which leads me to “Nick and Norah.” The first image we see of Nick is in his bedroom, leaving a message for Tris (Alexis Dziena, from “Broken Flowers”), who’s just broken up with him after six months of going out. It’s the type of desperate plea to talk that many guys find themselves acting out at least when the woman of his dreams ditches him, but this is the real deal. And then Nick does something unexpected- he deletes the message. Not the act of a desperate man but someone trying to get over his ex with a unique spin on things. Immediately, Nick doesn’t feel like our average romantic hero. Still, it’s not as simple as all that- desperation comes in the compilation CDs he makes Tris (he’s up to 12 now), but Tris- who’s moved on- isn’t biting, and throws his latest creation in the trash.
Enter Norah, played by Kat Dennings, best known for her role in “The 40 Year-Old Virgin” but also recently seen in “The House Bunny” and “Charlie Bartlett.” Norah loves Nick’s CDs; at one point calling him her “musical soulmate.” Norah’s the kind of smart, down-to-earth woman I think most guys would love to be with, with a sharp wit and a good heart- she happily plays chaperon to her best friend Caroline (Ari Graynor) when she gets drunk and gets guys- even if she finds herself hung up on things herself. Her hangup? Men. Namely, Tai (Jay Baruchel from “Knocked Up,” “Million Dollar Baby,” and “Tropic Thunder”), the ex-boyfriend with benefits whose more interested in her father’s industry connections for his band than her.
Nick is also in a band, The Jerkoffs. The catch? He’s the only straight member, and they don’t have a drummer. That’s not an indictment on their talent, but it doesn’t help them at the show they’re playing when the crowd wants them to get off the stage. That’s where Nick and Norah meet- Norah, who is clearly smitten with Nick, asks him to play boyfriend for five minutes while Tris rubs in her new squeeze, beginning the two on a crash course of love and life over the span of an evening and the two go on the search for the elusive underground band Where’s Fluffy around New York.
Music plays an integral part in the film, directed with a sure hand and loving heart by Peter Sollett, best known for his indie film “Raising Victor Vargas,” not only the music heard through live shows and Nick’s radio but also the score by Mark Mothersbaugh, which is a lovely and low-key companion on the journey these two and their friends- with Nick’s bandmates (played by Aaron Yoo, Rafi Gavron, and Jonathan B. Wright, who’s their boy toy) tagging along- make late into the hours of the morning looking for Where’s Fluffy. It’s not a particular piece of music that stands out- although Mothersbaugh’s score rates as one of my favorites from this year- but the feelings the soundtrack as a whole invokes, of being young, uncertain, and having a sense of the possibilities around you opening up in front of your eyes. Sure, the film isn’t as funny or goofy as you’d hope, but I defy you not to be taken along for the ride on this film’s musical soul.
And yet, the film still comes down to Nick and Norah. Unlike the protagonists of even good teen movies, these characters feel lived in and alive, like people you’d meet on the streets, or at work, or at school. But that comes from Cera and Denning, whose characters and performances transcend their young age and get down to the heart of the human experience and all the choices it throws our way. That may make the film sound like work, but nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, the film is just what a good movie should be- an escape from the trials of life by taking you on a journey through some of it’s most unexpected (and unforgettable) moments.
