Teens Nick and Norah meet and get to know each other while searching for a hidden concert in New York City.

CRITIQUE

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a likable teen-oriented romantic comedy with enough appeal to entertain older audiences as well; though the plot is a little flimsy, it moves briskly and entertainingly throughout.  Michael Cera and Kat Dennings (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) are solid in the leads, and in an era where there are so few really solid examples of this kind of film, it’s a nice throwback.

The premise here has Nick still obsessed with pretty ex-girlfriend Tris, making her mix CDs that have fallen into the hands of her friend Norah, who likes Nick despite never having met him.  Nick plays bass guitar in a New Jersey band that plays in Manhattan one night, when he meets Norah, and the rough structure of the film has them getting to know each other while running around Manhattan trying to find Norah’s missing friend and the location of a secret concert by one of their favorite bands.

The film has a lot of good touches throughout, such as Nick’s bandmates, a couple of gay guys who feel like fresh characters and have some amusing moments along the way, while some familiar faces (Jay Baruchel, Adam Samberg, Seth Meyers) show up in small roles.  Only Nick’s ex and Tris’ semi-boyfriend are both a little weak as characters – neither gives the main characters much of a real choice to make.

But Cera and Dennings do a very good job making the core of this work, playing off each other well while making us root for these two slightly-awkward characters to connect for good.  At barely 90 minutes this moves along rather briskly, and though on some levels it has an insubstantial feel, it is enough fun along the way to make it feel worthwhile.

THE VIDEO

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen.  The picture quality is generally good throughout.

THE AUDIO

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is presented in English 5.1 and French Dolby Digital Surround.  Dialogue, music and sound effects come through clear.  There are English and French subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

There are two Audio Commentaries.  One features director Peter Sollett and actors Michael Cera, Kat Dennings and Ari Graynor; it is chatty and likable.  The other features Sollett, screenwriter Lorene Scafaria and also Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, who wrote the novel the film is based on; it is more concerned with story matters, but there’s some solid and funny stuff here.

There are 10 minutes of Deleted and Alternate Scenes; a lot of it is made up of multiple takes of certain scenes.

There are 4 minutes of Outtakes, mostly the fairly standard stuff of the actors cracking up in the middle of takes.

There is a somewhat-amusing 5 minute Puppet Show by Kat Dennings, in which she uses paper cutouts to act out scenes of the movie, with the addition of a hungry bear.

Ari Graynor’s Video Diary is 4 minutes of Behind-the-Scenes footage shot by one of the actresses in the movie.

Storyboard Animations is a solid 9-minute bit that uses drawings to explain what was reshot in the movie, including the whole opening; there is optional commentary by Sollett and editor Myron Kerstein.

There is a 3-minute Fake Interview of Michael Cera and Kat Dennings by actor Eddie Kaye Thomas.

There is a Photo Album containing about 28 behind-the-scenes photos.

There is a clip-heavy Music Video for the Bishop Allen song “Middle Management”.

FINAL THOUGHT

A somewhat-slight but still entertaining film that is worth checking out.