A fun, heartfelt and memorable contemporary romance with plenty of charm.

Rating: Null/10 (12 February 2009)

Indie music and indie cinema; ostensibly, both make the perfect couple, like the jock and the prom queen- as ironic as that analogy may appear to be- both share common principles; basic instrumental accompaniment to heart-felt reflections on life in quirky yet considerably human ways; low-fi characters with small ideas but strangely larger than life philosophies on life's most simplistic qualms; and of course, a certain degree of pretension. Like it or not, both have common pros and cons that define what they are and who they indeed do or do not attract.
While Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist cannot rightly be called an indie picture because of its production values, at its core lays a very simple, true-to-heart depiction of love within the big apple; youthful, neurotic, impulsive and warm to the touch. In this regard, director Peter Sollett crafts a picture that strikes on the same homebrew chords that your average independent record or movie usually hits, and does so with enough conviction to make an enjoyable ninety minutes out of it. Granted the movie's insistence upon the more youthful, contemporary teenage romance will no doubt shun away those disconnected to such "crowds", but like the music itself, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist serves to satisfy those who are drawn to the twangs and echoes of a troubled heart in search for company and does so aware and confident in that assertion.
In many ways, Sollett's feature here can be directly compared to last year's similarly themed modern romantic comedy In Search of a Midnight Kiss. Set over the course of one eventful night in New York City, Nick & Norah is a tale of two people losing themselves in a midst of love, lust and romantic confusion. Of course, the movie doesn't set out to detail Nick (Michael Cera) and Norah (Kat Dennings) doing this together for the entirety of the movie; as most romantic comedies go, both characters must first realise that what they had before was nothing compared to what they have found in each other. Rather predictably, the ending will be no surprise to anyone, but for what it's worth, the story is compelling enough, funny enough and touching enough to sustain the attention for the short but sweet ninety minute runtime.
It's this simplicity and small scope that gives Nick & Norah its real zest, portraying a night out in search for a mystery concert by each of the character's mutual favourite band -whilst also hunting down their drunken companions- in a concise and fleeting manner that reflects the movie's central themes. Like Midnight Kiss, Sollett manages to create a romantic, whimsy air about one seemingly insignificant day, so that by the time the credits role there is catharsis that resonates through its simple design. It's a tale that always feels natural and down to earth without succumbing to the much more mundane aspects of every day coming and goings; that is, of course, because this night is a special night for both Nick and Norah, as they both find what they have really been searching for all along.
As far as this on-screen romance goes between Cera and Dennings, the result is compelling, but not entirely believable. Cera, who played alongside Ellen Page in last year's quirky teenage rom-com Juno, doesn't quite recapture the same emotional commitment that he had for Juno. Dennings too always feels natural and sure enough fits her character extremely well, but when put together with Cera, the result is mostly always lukewarm at best. In the end, the romantic aspect of Nick & Norah ends up being better in concept than in what eventually results on-screen, but that's not to say that such tinges of roses and happily-ever-afters are without their potency. The conclusion, which, as mentioned above, will surprise nobody, at least carries with it a firm sense of pathos that draws once again upon the movie's theme of wistful love born out of unsuspecting moments we normally wouldn't look twice upon.
Cinema, much like its musical counterpart, has its own little niches, flavours, genres, scenes and crowds, all of which are dictated by taste. Nick & Norah is a feature that not only adopts this truth through its essence and themes, but also through the characters that make up its story. Each, you could argue, has their own "songs", some of which carry on through others, and thus bonds and divisions are made from nowhere. It goes without saying then that while Nick & Norah certainly plays a well constructed song sure to attract those drawn to those particular sounds detailed above; those less inclined will be hard pressed to be converted. Yet with an airy, somewhat hypnotic and compelling story that has some great moments of laughter and romance, Nick & Norah provides a teenage rom-com that will no doubt please its niche crowd willingly and without compromise; a fun, heartfelt and memorable contemporary romance with plenty of charm.

A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)