Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Peter Sollett

BY Cam LindsayPublished Feb 6, 2009

One thing that was lost on me the first time I saw this adaptation of Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's popular novel was just how genuine and sincere a story it is. Teenagers are rarely depicted without the dependence on the clichéd stereotyping of how teenagers behave from an over-the-hill adult's perspective, and co-star Kat Dennings calls it out in the commentary: "This isn't fluffy, quip-y teenage dialogue, this is people talk." And Nick and Norah definitely looks to give you real people interacting in the real world. That isn't to say it's without its fun and doesn't occasionally dip into fantasy - the titular characters have a circumstantial and whimsical night of romance, the result of avoiding their exes and discovering their compatibility. Nick (Michael Cera) is hung up over his ex, while Norah (Kat Dennings) has a crush on Nick after hearing his mix CDs. Meeting at a gig by Nick's band the Jerk Offs, the two reluctantly fall for each other while searching for a secret concert by their favourite indie rockers. But it's a journey filled with plenty of plausible obstacles, the best of which is Norah's drunken, lost friend Caroline (Ari Graynor), who steals the show every time she's on screen. The commentary by Sollett, Cera, Dennings and Graynor is as affable and adorable as the film, with Cera starting off by claiming, "This whole movie's one big lie," nodding to how they had to constantly pretend, while they go on to list off their "commentary pet peeves." The commentary with Cohn and Levithan, as well as screenwriter Lorene Scafaria, is also worth the time, as the group reveal what the "infinite playlist" in question really is. Deleted scenes allow the cast to get raunchy. The best of which comes from Andy Samberg's cameo as a brazen homeless man, and an alternative puppet take on the entire movie is shared by Dennings, who introduces a hungry bear with a driver's licence. Cameo actor Eddie Kaye Thomas conducts a faux interview with the two stars at the expense of Dennings' anonymity and Cera's fame. Plus: storyboard animations, video diary.
(Sony)

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