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Movies Forum Index » Movie Reviews Forum » Review: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)...
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| Steve Rhodes... |
 Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 3:58 pm |
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NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2008 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
Michael Cera may be very popular, but he is a one-note actor. With his
always sad, distance smile, you feel sorry for his characters before you
even know their stories. His limitations work when opposite strong female
leads, as when he played opposite Ellen Page in what I think was the best
film of last year, JUNO. He becomes a nice foil for his co-stars' emotions.
But, in NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST, Cera is asked to carry the show
equally with his female lead, Kat Dennings as Norah. His performance
constantly falls flat, and hers isn't much better.
A romantic teen comedy, NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST did nothing for
me. I didn't laugh. I didn't even smile. I just never cared. And
cinematographically, the film is much uglier than any television series
watched at home for free on your HDTV. Why filmmakers expect viewers to pay
twenty bucks for a pair of tickets and then provide them with something so
dingy is a mystery to me, but many movies these days are making that
mistake.
By Peter Sollett, whose last film was the equally disappointing RAISING
VICTOR VARGAS, NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST happens one night in New
York City. Nick and Norah spend most of the night driving around, as they
try to find Caroline (Ari Graynor), Norah's very drunk best friend who is
lost somewhere. Nick drives a yellow Yugo -- which frequently doesn't go --
and many New Yorkers decide his car must be a cab.
Caroline, a constant gum chewer, does not like to lose her gum. When she
spits her gum on a wall or throws it up into a puke-filled toilet in a very
dirty, public restroom, she always retrieves it and puts it back into her
mouth, as the audience groans loudly. Caroline and Norah are such best
friends that they swap this same piece of gum. Yes, it is just as
disgusting as it sounds. Actually, it is even worse. And there are other
such moments in the movie, including one with a cell phone floating in
vomit.
In a story you've heard a hundred times before, Nick pines for his
ex-girlfriend Tris (Alexis Dziena), who never loved him and still mentally
abuses him. Although Norah has a boyfriend, she and Nick spent most of the
movie not realizing the obvious that they were they were made for each
other. Of course, by the time the night is over and the film ends, they
will come to know what we know and will finally be together -- all very
predictable.
Much of the story is filled with music references. Nick is the only
straight guy in a gay band. Actually all of his friends are gay. His main
skill in life appears to be his ability to create really good mix CDs.
Norah, who goes to the same Catholic, uniformed high school that Tris does,
knows of Nick from the great mix CDs he prepared for Tris as a way to woo
her.
A recurring subplot has all of the kids in the story searching for an
elusive band called "Where's Fluffy" or just "Fluffy" for short. The band
is playing at some secret location in the city. This is very apropos since
the movie is nothing but fluff. And, not very enjoyable fluff.
NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST runs 1:30. It is rated PG-13 for "mature
thematic material including teen drinking, sexuality, language and crude
behavior" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, October 3, 2008.
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century
theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
Email: Steve.Rhodes at (no spam) InternetReviews.com
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