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7 out of 10
Dumped by his self-absorbed girlfriend Tris (Dziena), heartbroken Nick (Cera) is rescued by his band mates and whisked off to Manhattan in search of everybody's favourite new band. Unbeknown to Nick is that he has a fan in the form of music aficionado Norah (Dennings). When the two are thrown together by fate (aka a drunk friend) a night of musical madness ensues.
Brought to audience attention playing George-Michael Bluth in the superb Arrested Development, before following it up with star turns in Superbad and Juno, Michael Cera it seems is slowly becoming Hollywood's loveable loser; a moniker he does little to shake in new movie, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Playing the jilted Nick, little time is wasted before Cera is picking up where he last left off. We find him hold up in his room dejected, making mix cds and leaving awkward voice messages for his former love. Cera's talent for drawing sympathy shouldn't be looked upon as a negative though. For all his beguiling charm Cera demonstrates an innate aptitude for comedy; a trait embraced by his Nick, the only straight member of 'Queercore' band, The Jerk-offs.
Sharing titular duties with Nick is Norah, played by Kat Dennings. Even before she meets him, Norah has come to love Nick through the mix cds he makes for her high school acquaintance and Nick's ex, Tish. The pair are inadvertently brought together when Norah asks Nick to pose as her boyfriend in order to stave off the cynical looks of Tish. Dennings is impressive as the bolshie Norah; her unassuming demeanour veiling an astute and striking young woman, qualities that become more apparent as the film progresses.
The initial awkwardness of Nick and Norah's fledgling relationship is extremely enjoyable to watch; you find yourself willing the pair together. As the relationship develops however fewer laughs are generated. This leaves the support cast to pick up the slack; a job they do with great aplomb, in particular Ari Graynor as Norah's intoxicated friend Caroline.
Transparent though the film may be it is nonetheless an enjoyable way to pass an evening. Cera is always a joy to watch, however it would be nice to see him move away from George-Michael like roles.
Movie Website: www.sonypictures.com/movies/nickandnorah/site
Cast List:
Nick: Michael Cera
Norah: Kat Dennings
Tris: Alexis Dziena
Thom: Aaron Yoo
Dev: Rafi Gavron
Caroline: Ari Graynor
Tracklist:
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