Review: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist' - ****

In short: If you're annoyed by teenage hipsters then steer well clear, but if you meet it half-way you'll find a genuinely sweet and romantic minor classic of the genre.

It's tough, because although I had a really great time with this film, I could completely understand someone hating every second of it. It's far from a runaway success, as the structure seems contrived and it's just as predictable as any romantic comedy you could name, if not more so. But I think this one's special. It walks an extremely fine line, with writing full of the cynical affectations and awkward characterizations that populate every off-beat teen comedy since Napoleon Dynamite, and I'm sure the dialogue will annoy a lot of people into a blind rage on principle alone. The difference here, at least for me, is that this time the constant apathy and pop culture references aren't ornaments to distract from the fact that the characters are empty shells. The film thankfully puts character first, and contrasts all that too-cool detachment with genuine longing and romance. It's also not afraid of sex, and yet captures perfectly the awkwardness and innocence of young love. I found a scene set in a recording studio achingly familiar, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Michael Cera is particularly well-cast in a role that looks at first glance like typecasting, but actually gives him a lot more freedom to be a real human being than the films that have made him a household name. (This is a good thing, because he's getting dangerously close to being just another Jon Heder.) Go in with no assumptions and you'll find wit, intelligence, a smattering of very funny dialogue, and a deep reservoir of romance. If you don't feel any affection for the main characters by the end, you're the one with an apathy problem. It put a grin on my face for 90 minutes straight.