Nick and Norah's
Infinite Playlist
3.5 Waffles!

Everyone’s favorite sad sack nerdy teen, Michael Cera, stars as Nick – a kid trying to get over his horrible girlfriend, Tris (Alexis Dziena). He drives an old beat up Yugo, plays bass in a band and pours his heart out in mix CDs that Tris doesn’t appreciate, but her frenemy, Norah (Kat Dennings), adores. Norah is convinced she would fall head over heals for Nick if they ever met. Since it is a movie, you know they will.

One night, all of them head off to find a secret show by their favorite band, Norah pretends to be Nick’s new girlfriend to spite Tris and we have to wonder if Nick and Norah will find true love as they try to hunt down Norah’s out of control pal, Caroline (Ari “The only woman who makes me forget about Carrie Underwood for just a few moments” Graynor).

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, much like Superbad, is one of those movies that makes you wish you could go back to high school and have one crazy, amazing, life changing night like this again. Director Peter Sollett and writers Lorene Scafaria (based on the novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan) fill the movie with all sorts of outrageous, hilarious moments, but also never lose sight of the sweetness. It’s a love story wrapped in a comedy.

Both Nick and Norah are filled with an endearing geeky gawkiness that is overly familiar to all of us and will likely bring back some high school memories. Cera makes us laugh as the guy trying to be tough, but so scared he’s even speechless in his fantasies. Dennings makes Norah the real tough one in the pairing, but knows when to show the vulnerability she hides on the inside. Most of all, Gaynor is a scene stealer as the drunk girl who wanders from crazy situation to crazier situation.

Yet, it’s not a perfect movie. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist could use some better dialogue (but it’s great dialogue when it is great), and the movie peaks too early as we are left with a last third of the film that is drawn out and forced upon us long after the big climax.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist rated PG-13 for mature thematic material including teen drinking, sexuality, language and crude behavior.