 |
| Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist |
It's hard for younger generations to believe, but there was a time between 2007 and 2010 where Michael Cera was being pitched as a romantic lead. Yes, Arrested Development's Michael Cera, the guy more known for being awkward than traditionally handsome. You could blame the back-to-back hits of Superbad and Juno for raising him to that indie chic status. However, there was something to the persona that worked so well in director Lorene Scafaria's Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: a film that finds two high school teenagers falling in love as they scout New York for a secret performance by Where's Fluffy. It's one of those films more that stumbles through scenarios than any deeper plot, but it's also one of the most affecting young romances of the decade thanks in large part to Cera's chemistry with co-star Kat Dennings, as well as a cast of comedians you may or may not know through Judd Apatow works. At 10 years old, the film is still an endearing little oddball about love, youth, and trying to find purpose.
In a lot of ways, the only thing that hasn't aged well are the phones. It was a moment just prior to iPhones and touch screens where all of the information could be accessed in the palm of your hand. It was a time where text messages and phone calls were the primary use of a phone, thus making the scavenger hunt at the center of the plot all the more intriguing. This is the last vestige of teenage movies where the characters are not glued to their phones, instead only using them to find clues as they try to navigate neighborhoods that are massive from the ground floor, popping into bars to watch local bands perform at all hours of the night. There's a lot of humor derived from the simple act of being in a room, watching mediocre acts perform. It's here where most of the cameos get their full impact, including John Cho as a rapper who performs to an almost exclusively empty room.
Norah (Dennings) is one of those people who sits in the bar and listens to bands, thanks reluctantly to her more outgoing friend Caroline (the joyfully drunk Ari Graynor). The idea of fate never seems stronger, especially as she avoids her casual boyfriend (Jay Baruchel) and tries to get Caroline home in one piece. On the other end of the room is Nick (Cera), who is the only straight man in a gay group called The Jerk-Offs: whose lack of drummer leads to using a drum machine and the great ongoing joke "You're one arm short of a Def Leppard cover band." He drives a Yugo, which is most likely to break down every three blocks than carry his gear to a venue. Still, he plays for the love of music and tries to find meaning in his life. This isn't to say that the band isn't fulfilling - the supporting cast is full of great actors in an effectively progressive depiction of gay characters - but he has too many roadblocks to seeing his own happiness, especially when dealing with his nagging ex-girlfriend (Alexis Dziena). It isn't until Nick and Norah meet that something becomes clear.
The film's marketing likely emphasized the "hipster" lingo thanks to Cera's involvement with the highlight successful Juno. Likes like "I won't be the goody bag at your pity party" lined posters that turned New York into an art collage with Cera and Dennings at the center, reflecting love that was something chic and reflective of indie cinema trends. This isn't to say that the film is without them, but the marketing does at times unfairly make the film seem like a Juno knock-off. It's far from it, and in fact is at points more engrossing at capturing young love during a time where relationships are more bonded over being in the same place than through online dating profiles. Some of the film's best scenes involve Cera and Dennings driving around, quipping back and forth about their personal lives. They go to the same school and know Caroline, but neither had the fortitude to talk to each other. It's a premise not unlike The Breakfast Club, but taking place over several hours one night.
In a lot of ways, the film is also a spiritual update of films like Martin Scorsese's After Hours, capturing the aura of weirdness that happens after midnight. While the night starts off just fine, the slow revelation of kismet begins to set in as the world falls asleep, leaving everyone to wander around aimlessly for this Where's Fluffy show. While the film sidetracks with side plots about Caroline trying to get home while very drunk, it is about a bond that is had when forced to listen to each other. If either leaves, the evening will have been a waste. There's been too much effort put into this scavenger hunt. Also there's far too many colorful characters throughout the film, such as musician Devendra Banhart as a customer at a store, or Andy Samberg as a homeless man outside of a church. The world that Scafaria has populated never ceases to be entertaining unto itself, making the film far more effective the longer that Where's Fluffy remains missing.
Cera may have never become that romantic lead that he was sold as, though Dennings did go on to have a fairly successful gig on 2 Broke Girls. With that said, Cera's subdued charm is perfectly matched by Dennings' snarkiness that often puts her as the more dominant figure in the relationship. Even then, they have a way of complimenting each other as the night goes on. There's an ambiance that forms around the film as the late hours tick. The cold night air can almost be felt off the screen as the emptiness of a city asleep becomes more apparent. As much as this is teenage fantasy, it is also a film that finds joy in the area of life that's often not lived. If there was a desire to stay up late and wander around a city, would you do it? The film posits that it's not only a good idea, but that it can lead to magical and memorable results.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is a film that may seem obscure in 2018, but is definitely worth exploring for new generations. For what it lacks in depth of story, it makes up for by capturing the emotional side of a young person's social life. This is what it looks like to go out and see the world that's being created around them, specifically in the music scene. There's an endearment about it that is hard to ignore, especially for a generation who grew up when that indie pastiche was interwoven into the fabric like neon in the 80's. It's one of those films that embodies young love as something that means the world. It's important to find the one you're meant to be, and it's sometimes done by accident in a bar to spite exes. There's a lot to life that doesn't make sense, but if you go with every now and then, you'll get something wonderful.
The film's marketing likely emphasized the "hipster" lingo thanks to Cera's involvement with the highlight successful Juno. Likes like "I won't be the goody bag at your pity party" lined posters that turned New York into an art collage with Cera and Dennings at the center, reflecting love that was something chic and reflective of indie cinema trends. This isn't to say that the film is without them, but the marketing does at times unfairly make the film seem like a Juno knock-off. It's far from it, and in fact is at points more engrossing at capturing young love during a time where relationships are more bonded over being in the same place than through online dating profiles. Some of the film's best scenes involve Cera and Dennings driving around, quipping back and forth about their personal lives. They go to the same school and know Caroline, but neither had the fortitude to talk to each other. It's a premise not unlike The Breakfast Club, but taking place over several hours one night.
In a lot of ways, the film is also a spiritual update of films like Martin Scorsese's After Hours, capturing the aura of weirdness that happens after midnight. While the night starts off just fine, the slow revelation of kismet begins to set in as the world falls asleep, leaving everyone to wander around aimlessly for this Where's Fluffy show. While the film sidetracks with side plots about Caroline trying to get home while very drunk, it is about a bond that is had when forced to listen to each other. If either leaves, the evening will have been a waste. There's been too much effort put into this scavenger hunt. Also there's far too many colorful characters throughout the film, such as musician Devendra Banhart as a customer at a store, or Andy Samberg as a homeless man outside of a church. The world that Scafaria has populated never ceases to be entertaining unto itself, making the film far more effective the longer that Where's Fluffy remains missing.
Cera may have never become that romantic lead that he was sold as, though Dennings did go on to have a fairly successful gig on 2 Broke Girls. With that said, Cera's subdued charm is perfectly matched by Dennings' snarkiness that often puts her as the more dominant figure in the relationship. Even then, they have a way of complimenting each other as the night goes on. There's an ambiance that forms around the film as the late hours tick. The cold night air can almost be felt off the screen as the emptiness of a city asleep becomes more apparent. As much as this is teenage fantasy, it is also a film that finds joy in the area of life that's often not lived. If there was a desire to stay up late and wander around a city, would you do it? The film posits that it's not only a good idea, but that it can lead to magical and memorable results.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is a film that may seem obscure in 2018, but is definitely worth exploring for new generations. For what it lacks in depth of story, it makes up for by capturing the emotional side of a young person's social life. This is what it looks like to go out and see the world that's being created around them, specifically in the music scene. There's an endearment about it that is hard to ignore, especially for a generation who grew up when that indie pastiche was interwoven into the fabric like neon in the 80's. It's one of those films that embodies young love as something that means the world. It's important to find the one you're meant to be, and it's sometimes done by accident in a bar to spite exes. There's a lot to life that doesn't make sense, but if you go with every now and then, you'll get something wonderful.
Comments
Post a Comment