Michael Cera and Kat Dennings Q&A at TIFF
Kat Dennings Exclusive Q&A

PREMIERE'S REVIEW (posted 10/3/08)

Based on the young adult novel by Rachel Cohn, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is a fun and funny trip through NYC nightlife and high school romance. Nick (Michael Cera) and Norah (Kat Dennings) have two things in common — they love music, and they're both tormented by Tris (Alexis Dziena), a bitchy blonde frenemy of Norah's who broke Nick's heart and throws his intricate mix CDs into the trash. Norah rescues the CDs from the trash, much to the amusement of her BFF Caroline (Ari Graynor) who teases her for being in love with someone she doesn't know just through his mixes. They all collide one night on the Lower East Side (in the once uber-hip Arlene's Grocery) — Nick's band is playing, and Tris shows up with a dumb hottie. Meanwhile, Caroline is getting trashed, and Tris sneers at Norah for being alone again. Norah snags Nick and asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend, and voila — a night of mixed signals, drunken mischief, very cool cameos, and a tour of New York hotspots ensues.

Though critics and media snarks will have a hard time resisting comparisons between Nick and Norah and Juno, it's rather facile to lump them together just because Cera reprises his role as the sweetly dorky teen and Dennings is a whip smart brunette. People love to hate on Diablo Cody, but I'm not one of them. However, the differences between her fast-talking teens and Cohn's more realistic creations are considerable. Nick seems older, more self-aware, and even slightly tougher than good old Paulie Bleeker. (And he also "has it in him.") He jokes about having an Ellen DeGeneres haircut, curses his car, and actually — get this — gets into a bit of a scuffle (although he is bailed out by his band mate's hot hookup, a Nordic gay teen named Lothario). Kat is insecure in a real way, fumbling for words, getting sucked into the embrace of her drunken ex (played by a hilarious Jay Baruchel) who only wants to use her for her family connections, and most of all, intensely vulnerable during a love scene with Nick. It's also refreshing to see gay teens on screen hanging with their het buddies without being particularly clichéd (although, of course, they do make Norah over a bit and make her wear a push-up bra).

People like to hate on Michael Cera, too, wondering if he's ever going to grow up and stop playing the awkward teen, if he's gonna turn into the next John Cusack, and by the way, what's up with that Canadian niceness and backpack? But again, that's a superficial comparison, and better yet, who cares? Nick and Norah will speak to teen girls (and their older sisters) who want to see a smart, cool chick get a sweet, decent guy (who, by the way, actually wants to give them an orgasm). It's both a somewhat accurate picture of the horribleness of being in high school and being hung up on an ex and the miscommunications that occur when things are just starting out, and it's a fantasy of one night in New York City and all its insanity, grossness, romance, and glamour.

— Jenni Miller