This is a movie I should have been itching to see on opening night. For some reason, however, the advertising turned me off. Although I love Michael Cera and Kat Dennings, Nick and Norah respectively, the annoying drunk girl in the trailer made me think, “Great, another teen movie made by someone who is completely disconnected from that time in their life.” I couldn’t have been further from correct in my assumptions. Plus, the annoying drunk girl turns out to be kinda funny.
The trailer and opening scene of the film pretty much set everything up for you. Nick has been dumped by his girlfriend Tris and can’t let go. His ingeniously named band has a show to play in the city and he agrees to perform despite his mood. Nick and Norah meet at the show, Norah’s best friend Caroline gets sloshed and everyone who is anyone is trying to find out where a legendary indie rock band is playing that same night. Nick’s band mates decide Norah is the one for him and devise a way to force them to spend the night together searching for the mystery concert. So there is Nick and Norah, the band mates Thom and Dev, drunk Caroline, the ex-girlfriend Tris, Tris’ new boy toy, Dev’s new boy toy, Jesus, other kinda-sorta-maybe ex’s…. you get the picture. They all intertwine throughout and although this sounds like a lot going on, you never feel that way while watching the movie.
Nothing in this film feels overdone and the filmmakers did a great job avoiding the immature and cliché pitfalls of most teen comedies. Everything about it just feels sincere. However, viewers might think one character is overdone, and that is Nick’s ex Tris. Tris is over the top but I don’t think her character is handled poorly. I feel this way for two reasons: 1) I knew a girl exactly like her, and 2) Hating Tris makes you root for Nick and Norah that much harder, and that’s part of the fun. I hated Tris. If you watch this movie and in anyway relate with Tris, then you should be worried.
Although the story is about a night in the life of a group of teenagers, any adult who hasn’t lost their lust for life will be able to enjoy the film as well. Hopefully everyone reading this has had one of those nights where everything clicks. Whether it was a date, or an outing with a group of friends, we can all remember a time that was just completely right and Nick and Norah brings that back for us. If the night in Dazed and Confused met the music of Empire Records and then they met the love story of Reality Bites and then they all fell into a blender you would have Nick and Norah’s Infinite Play List.
If you made the same assumptions I did about this movie ignore them and go rent it. Put it in your Netflix queue and put it to the #1 position. You’ll be happy you did. I am giving it three stars now with the hope that it becomes four stars later. I have a hunch this is the kind of film that just gets better with age, like the three I mentioned above. I pray I never grew too old to enjoy movies like this.
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