Good Karma

Rating: 10/10 (10 October 2008)

Peter Sollett's "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" is the sweetest and most charming movie of the year. It is also hysterical. Yes, "Nick and Norah" is predictable by virtue of being romantic comedy. However, Writer Lorene Scafaria's adaptation of Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's book is more than just teen angst and high jinx. "Nick and Norah" surprises in its characters' authenticity, and here the journey is as joyous as the outcome. Scarfaria's screenplay may win an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. It is that good. "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" has the genuine feel of last year's "Juno", and the great music to back up its title.
Michael Cera and Kat Dennings are amazing as Nick and Norah. Cera is perhaps a Tom Hanks slacker version. He nails the universal teen enduring the world with a big heart. Dennings gives a breakthrough performance. She is deceptively funny, pretty and very smart. In a wonderful scene gay band mate Thom (Aaron Yoo) says to Nicky, "You still haven't figured it out yet?" The Beatles got it"I Want to Hold Your Hand". He grabs Nick's hand and tells him, "It's about this." For temporarily obtuse Nicky, Thom is talking about Norah.
Nick (Cera) is a high school senior and the straight bass player for the gay band "The Jerk Offs", along with is buds Thom (Yoo) and Dev (Rafi Gavron). As we first meet Nick, he comes off as a well intentioned pathetic loser. He records CD mixes of his favorite songs for his ex-girlfriend Tris (hot and vapid Alexis Dziena). Though it becomes immediately obvious that Nick is not at all a loser, and that Tris is beyond bitch. The latter of course is transparent to Thom and Dev, and lost upon Nick.
Norah (Dennings) and her best friend Caroline (cute and scattered Ari Graynor) attend an all girls' school with Tris (Dziena). Tris painfully mocks and discards Nick's CDs. Norah, who listens to the CD discards, may have found her soul mate in Nick, whom she has never met. The thread that binds them all is finding the secret concert of their favorite band "Where's Fluffy" somewhere in New York City. For director Sollett the city is a living and breathing character. He and Scarfaria also make the most hilarious and creative use of chewing gum.
Dev and Thom coax Nick out of his self pity exile to play a gig at a club in the city. Norah and Caroline are also at the club, along with Tris and her "mall stalker" boyfriend. Norah notices Nick playing in the band. Caroline remarks, "You're practically blowing him with your eyes!" Under contrived circumstance Norah asks Nick to pose as her boyfriend for 5 minutes. Norah soon realizes that Nick is Tris's ex. It's Nick and Norah's karma.
Cera and Dennings have amazing chemistry and heart which are the hallmarks of "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist". We cheer for their Nick and Norah, because they are just decent and authentic souls. Their journey is wrought with angst, humor, and all heart. Nick ridiculously suffers over Norah's exTal (funny arrogant Jay Baruchel), who is her "friend with benefits". He still hasn't figured out that he and Norah are falling in love, and that Tris (Dziena) is all wrong.
Cera perfectly plays Nick as a guy, who thinks way too much, when he should listen to his heart. Dennings embodies Norah as the girl, who really doesn't get that she is amazing, overshadowed in insecurity and compensating by having it all figured out. She can't see that she has it all over Tris. In a very nice scene Nick tells Norah, "You're beautiful." Cera and Dennings have many memorable moments be it arguing in Nick's yellow Yugo or Nick giving Norah his jacket to protect her from the cold. One that stands out: Norah while nursing drunken Caroline says to Nick, "I was thinking about Brown It would be kind of nice knowing someone an hour away." Nick gives Norah a moisten hand wipe from the last time his family had Chinese food. Smart funny writing, amazing performances, and good karma make "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" among the year's best movies.