Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
2 Lloyds – Not Family-Friendly
PG-13 for mature thematic material including teen drinking, sexuality, language and crude behavior.
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist falls into the category of comedy/romance.
While the genre is correct, in the end, this movie simply falls flat. It comes off as somewhat of a watered down look at the life of a group of teens living in New York City. Yes, there is comedy, and yes, there is romance. But, Nick & Norah seems better suited for a Saturday Night Disney Special, rather than a full length big screen movie. However, even after saying it’s best suited for a Disney special, keep in mind, this is NOT a family-friendly movie. It clocks in around an hour and a half, and it’s a good thing too. While the movie in no way should have been longer, it also seems to end, with no real ending or sense of closure.
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is based on a novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. The story is about two people who suddenly find themselves together by accident, running around New York City searching for their favorite band’s unannounced show. Two misfits trying to fit into the overly crowded teen scene where everyone looks alike, while at the same time saying they are individuals. It’s a night of mix tapes, late-night living, and live, loud music. Nick and Norah, the two misfits, are really the ones throughout the entire night, or movie as far as that goes, who actually are individuals. On the surface, they look like they’re trying to fit into the bad teen scene. But, in reality, they’re a couple of good kids, just trying to find themselves in the midst of a chaotic teen life world.
Nick is played by Michael Cera of Juno and Superbad fame. While he plays an awe-shucks character quite well, he seems to be type-cast once again in this movie. His boy next door innocence is starting to run thin as he’s very predictable in his performance. Norah on the other hand, who’s played by Kat Dennings, is about the only character in this flick who really stands out. As a matter of fact, if it wasn’t for Dennings performance as Norah, this movie might have been unbearable.
As already mentioned, the movie has some issues. In an effort to probably capture the random nature of teens living in New York City, the movie comes off as a random collision of what at times almost seem like unconnected scenes. Storylines appear out of nowhere, and then disappear almost as quickly as they appeared. By the time all is said and done, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist just suddenly ends. The music mix doesn’t fade away, it just suddenly ends! It’s almost like the producers of the film said, “Alright folks, we just found out we’re out of money for this production, so we’re done.” While the subtle message of the journey wasn’t all about finding the band, but finding true love, it’s hard to find as the flick comes to a screeching halt.
Aside from all of these flaws, Nick & Norah is a decent movie for the older teen crowd. It’s rated PG-13, but it is not family-friendly.
Remember the warning here. It’s PG-13 for mature thematic material including teen drinking, sexuality, language and crude behavior. This is best for the 16 and up crowd. They will get it. They will enjoy the music, and they will enjoy the thrill of the New York City night life. But any teens younger than 16 simply don’t need to be enticed by the fast living. The best part about the movie revolves around the fact that maybe some of the older teens who see the movie, will discover there’s more to life than simply living fast.
Cautiously enjoy the show!
Dr. Rus
Dr. Rus has 30+ years experience in the field of communication. He takes this experience, and his passion to encourage others to positively effect their environment, when providing insight and movie reviews. 
