Adam Frazier
By Adam Frazier
It’s been three weeks, two days, and 23 hours since Tris (Alexis Dziena) broke up with Nick (Michael Cera). And now here she is at his band’s gig, with some new guy. Everyone knows a girl like Tris, or as I like to call her, the destroyer of worlds.
She’s the girl that infects a guy’s life like a spreading disease, slowly eating away at his soul until she’s in control of every aspect of his meaningless existence. She’s the girl that would cause a brokenhearted boy to compile disc upon disc of playlists dedicated to coping with such a harrowing breakup. Simply put, Tris is a bitch in the first degree.
Nick is the only straight member of his band, “The Jerk Offs,” which plays shows in the seedy, dimly lit bars of New York City. After being devoured and spit out by Tris, Nick is lost and pathetic, a shattered remainder of himself. But luckily, there are girls like Norah (Kat Dennings), who are there to pick the Nicks of the world up put them back together.
Norah bumps into Tris and her new boyfriend at Nick’s gig and is so embarrassed to be dateless she asks a complete stranger (Nick) to be her boyfriend for five minutes. A spark is recreated between the two when they share an impromptu kiss. Any fool worth their weight in such romanticism can see the chemistry forming.
Now that Nick and Norah are on their way to being happy, Tris becomes a jealous she-devil and decides she wants him back. Meanwhile, Norah’s best friend and routine drunk Caroline (Ari Graynor) gets lost in the city and it’s up to her and Nick to find her. Their endless night in New York is filled with opportunities to get to know each other – and the possibilities are as endless as the playlists that provide the soundtrack to their night.
I love this film. It’s full of heart, that genuine sense of emotion that can’t be faked. The chemistry between Michael Cera’s awkward Nick and Kat Dennings’ Norah is beautiful and sweet. You can’t help but fall in love for them and hope they can put their past relationships in the past for good.
“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” is a love letter to New York City. The Big Apple is the perfect backdrop for such an intimate, focused story. These two star-crossed lovers constantly chase each other around the city, searching for a rare concert and a drunken friend, but in the process – they find each other. The music, much like the soundtrack for “Juno,” is filled with wonderfully indie tracks that give the film a soul.
What else can I say? If you want to feel good, if you want to believe in love and have your heart jump-started by genuine performances and a killer soundtrack, then you’ve got to see “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.”
Extras
A swag of extra features on here, including : cut bits from the flick, some outtakes, a music video (great music in this movie – – did I mention that?), A Nick and Norah Pupper Show by Kat Dennings (talented AND beautiful!), a behind-the-scenes diary, faux interviews with the cast members, and an entertaining and informative commentary by cast and crew. A terrific package!
