A time capsule of events. NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST captures the essence of today's youth. The youth of the 2000's, when "fame" can be achieved through a simple YouTube video. Youth that has moved on from "mix tapes" into "mix cd's". Youth that lives for the ultimate pleasure of seeing their absolute favorite band in a highly secretive location in a last minute event. A pin-point of coolness. A moment in time.
Two of my favorite films involving the discovery of "unexpected love" are BEFORE SUNRISE and GARDEN STATE. Both have male protagonists faced with a certain timeframe. Suddenly there is a girl who shows up and wows him into a possible future. She is unmistakably wonderful and he, the protagonist, knows to not let her go but must now choose which new path to take. Both films end on a moment of hope for the respective couples.
In PLAYLIST, Michael Cera (Nick) is the centerpiece and it is his time to shine after bright supporting turns in "Arrested Development", SUPERBAD, and JUNO. His hottie girlfriend, his love, has broken up with him (on his birthday no less) and he is trying to cope with the near future of going on without her. He takes a "personal day", absent from school, but is coerced into going out to a gig with his band, The Jerk-Offs (though this name is under construction and may soon be changed).
His two bandmate buddies are both gay and their songs reflect that. This is a novelty in film. Really, when's the last time you had a straight male protagonist that only relied on his two gay buddies for support? There's not even one smart-ass pal to be found. This is supplemented by the fact that there is no friendly bashing of sexual preferences, each character is clearly accepted as is and there is no crude name calling (which is now, sadly, fairly commonplace among males and females in their comfort level with their friends). Once, Nick's ex-girlfriend even answers the phone, "hey bitch". This tossed-off greeting underscores a shade of her true personality (that Nick often times has not seen) and presents a lack of care towards her friend in need. Typically, I find such remarks toward close friends to be lazy. Classless banalities like these are artificial and blandly cover a true expression of feelings. Sadly, most friends do not reveal good, positive emotions to one another until prompted by specific events or crisis, but a friendly put-down can be dished out casually. Why down someone just because you can? You only hurt the ones you love? Maybe, but show some respect. There's my two cents and your free advice for the day.
Kat Dennings (Norah) finds herself at the gig where Nick and his band are playing. She is on the prowl for the night to see her favorite band (Where's Fluffy - a name that truly embodies the chase of the elusive "white rabbit", the mystery of which that further drives Alice into Wonderland). She is immediately faced down by a classmate (Nick's ex) and randomly chooses Nick as her "boyfriend" (oops?) so she can avoid the condemnation of being at the concert without someone (horrors). She is the daughter of a well-to-do business man and is clearly known around these NYC clubs as someone of wealth, though she herself tries to downplay it. Dennings has done nice supporting work recently in such films as THE HOUSE BUNNY and CHARLIE BARTLETT, while being best known as Catherine Keener's daughter in THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN. Like Cera, she comes into her own here.
While Nick and Norah's night in New York City keeps them on the hunt for the band, they simulaneously confront their exes and support a drunk friend (who definitely pushes the line on how long a piece of gum should be chewed, as is demonstrated in a surprising gross-out scene). They manage to find awkward love despite wild events pushing them from one destination to another. There is a sweetness to the reactions that Nick and Norah have toward one another, as can be the case with first true love. Surely their exes were never as tender as they can be towards one another. Cera is great at being the underdog that doesn't have to do much on-screen to be loved and he is well-served by his role here that will have young female fans dreaming over him (I heard the "ohh"s and "aww"s from gals in the theater all around me, so I know this to be true). Norah is the romantic aggressor (at one point she even pushes him away and begins to leave), but Dennings imbues her character with sweet shyness and has the audience yearning for her to reach out further to connect with the confused Nick. Come on ladies, if you just let us know how you really feel, we men won't be as dense. It's not so tough really.
The two kids both comment on the "straight-edge" lifestyle of the other. This is a fresh change of pace for two leads in a "hip" film. Most teen characters want to cross the line of rebellion to be "cool" and by Nick's own account he "doesn't subscribe to any labels". Good for him. With Norah's drunken girlfriend as an antithesis to their sobriety (as well as becoming a constant problem all night), the film does serve as a strong reminder of the trouble that drinking to excess can be when it falls upon the sober friends to prop up and care for their drunken compatriots. Without Norah's watch her friend would have been completely lost, time and again. Hopefully there will be some embarassment (or even slight reformation) to audience members who recognize their friends, or themselves, in the drunken girl's antics.
The soundtrack itself plays in the background throughout the film, but is only prominent in a few moments that do not concern Nick and Norah as a couple. Their bond over the music is supplementary to their bond together over the course of the night. There is no one song that brings them together. Even given a rare musical opportunity, Nick realizes his heart and true passion lead directly to Norah.
A chick flick that doesn't feel like it. A teen film that aspires for more. NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST does not go on infinitely. The running time is about an hour and a half, which feels just right. After all, there is a time limit on a mix cd, a maximum capcacity for an ipod, a dawn to end an evening. The timeframe is enough for Nick and Norah (themselves similarly named like William Powell and Myrna Loy's romantic sleuthing couple from the classic 1930's THIN MAN movie series) to have discovered each other. No magnifying glass necessary. At various moments there is a strong draw for each to return to their exes, but they both find the right reasons to be with their new match. We should all find such happiness in the span of one evening before sunrise.
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