Review of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," which came to theaters on Oct 3, was an infinite stream of entertainment. The movie consisted of the characters chasing one another to drive the plot. Tris was chasing Nick, Nick was chasing Norah, Nick's gay friends were chasing a drunk Caroline, who was running for her life from them, and everyone was chasing the illusive band, Where's Fluffy.

"Infinite Playlist" paid wonderful consideration to detail, chronicling even the adventure of a rather disgusting piece of bubble gum. The movie also took the time to develop most of the character's motivations while keeping the flow of events from grinding to a halt.

Surprisingly, "Infinite Playlist" gave Michael Cera (Nick) the chance to play a stronger character than his love interest. Nick had relationships where he honestly got something out of them, even the one with his unfaithful ex, Tris, while even Norah's best friend was using her. The movie suggests that Norah's whole life had been a series of other people forcing her to conform to their desires. At every setback Norah fell back on her co-dependant relationships for reassurance, though she could hardly stand them in her moments of strength. Nick, on the other hand, didn't need to be constantly reaffirmed, and defined himself separately from labels and his entourage of gay friends.

Neither Nick nor Norah were driving forces throughout the movie. Both characters were - for the most part - willing to let events unfold around them, rarely making direct contributions to the plot. They also spent as much on screen time apart as they did together. In that respect the movie seemed more grounded in reality, though the events themselves were unlikely.

Large portions of the movie, like most teenage experiences, were horribly awkward. Interpersonal conflict between Nick and Norah was often overshadowed and diffused by being set in the context of even greater embarrassment. At one point, while the main characters were getting to know each other and making horrible first impressions, two complete strangers decide to make out in the back seat of Nick's car. The constant intrusions of side characters both extended the life of the simple plot and helped to make the audience feel tension without keeping Nick and Norah's relationship in limbo.

Throughout events, Nick's fellow band members and their gay lover Lethario acted as the supernatural elements to the story. After seeing Nick and Norah share an appropriately awkward first kiss, the trio decided that Norah was the perfect girl for their heartbroken friend. From that point on, they filled the role of fairy godmothers and spent the night working their magic on the young couple.

As a character study, I thought the movie was successful. While the characters were uninspired and could have represented most teenagers, the cast worked together in a genuinely interesting way.

Unlike most coming of age stories, you could believe that Nick and Norah were not popular. This was a refreshing change from the "High School Musical" genre where a lab coat formed a thinly veiled attempt to make the Vanessa Anne Hudgenses of the world seem "uncool." Nick and Norah were honestly losers, and that's what made me like them.

While the movie only covered one night, it gave the audience the hope of a future. Nick and Norah discovered early on that their colleges were only an hour apart. This became the anchor that the movie revolved around when the characters needed some thought to pull through the insanity around them. Though the movie downplayed the couple's shift to college, both Nick and Norah were on the verge of life changing events and took comfort in knowing a familiar face would be just an hour away.

"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" lacked the depth that made "Juno" excellent, but the movie was still worth watching. I found myself completely absorbed in the characters' lives and their misfortunes and while I was never in stitches, I snickered throughout most of the movie.