Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

by Kate McKENNA (The Semantic, Volume 1, Issue 4)

Audiences everywhere are charmed by indie kid sweethearts in comedy Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Catered to late teens - early 20-somethings with a refreshing lack of irony, director Peter Sollett keeps audiences enthralled with just the speculation of whether or not Nick and Norah will, in fact, hook up. Beware: there’s a spoiler near the bottom.
Michael Cera (Juno, Arrested Development) and Kat Dennings (Charlie Bartlett) play our protagonists that have little in common barring musical taste. Screenplay adapted from a book by the same name (penned by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, both of whom have cameos in the film), both Cera and Dennings meet at a show looking for a secret (a la White Stripes) show featuring their mutual favourite band, Where’s Fluffy?. Hilarity ensues - Norah claims Nick as her one-night-only boyfriend to escape ridicule from classmate Tris, only to find out that Nick is Tris’ mournful ex. Norah’s drunken friend provides comic relief for Judd Apatow fans, with several gross-out moments that are not central to the plot, but amusing nevertheless.
Dennings and Cera do a good, authentic job in their roles. And why not? Both are used to being typecast as b-side couples (though admittedly, Dennings not so much as Cera). Acting is strong from both leads; it’s nice to see Cera in a role where he gets more lines (even if the lines are, in content, the same as they have been in every role he’s played)
Naturally, the playlist in this film is fabulous. The National, Band of Horses, Shout Out Louds, Bishop Allen, We are Scientists all have token songs in the film. I predict this movie will have a Garden State-esque following, and that all bands in this film with have a Shins-esque career revival, and good on all of them (if annoying for indie-rock purists who watch this film and cringe)
My only criticism is the inaccurate portrayal of the female orgasm. Less than fifteen seconds to achieve? Yeah right.