Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Directed by Peter Sollett
- comedy
- music
- romance
The story
Nick cannot stop obsessing over his ex-girlfriend, Tris, until Tris' friend Norah suddenly shows interest in him at a club. Thus begins an odd night filled with ups and downs as the two keep running into Tris and her new boyfriend while searching for Norah's drunken friend, Caroline, with help from Nick's band mates. As the night winds down, the two have to figure out what they want from each other.
What it’s like
Handheld, jittery camera that stays close to its restless couple, shot on grainy, saturated digital with bursts of hot pink, green and sodium-orange light from clubs, cabs and all-night diners, and a New York that feels like a New Jersey borough after dark: sidewalks slick from rain, fluorescent bodegas, the glow of phone screens. The soundtrack does most of the emotional work, with indie rock and pop surging out of car speakers and basement shows, while quieter stretches leave room for banter and a ringing ear after loud rooms. The pacing is brisk and scrappy, long on wandering and small detours, and the register is warm, funny and wistful, the mood of a long night that keeps almost ending. It's about two shy, self-deprecating people slowly learning to be honest with each other, and the mixtape-romance energy is sweet rather than sentimental. Intensity is low: some drinking, mild profanity, sexual innuendo and a few teen-party scenes, with no real violence and nothing graphic. It suits a rainy weekend, a nostalgic comfort rewatch, or anyone wanting something lightly romantic and funny for music lovers and fans of quick, quotable dialogue.
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