Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

While there’s little doubt that Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist ultimately comes off as an above average contemporary romantic comedy, it’s worth noting that the film’s various deviations from the source material, Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s superior novel, prove effective in transforming the whole thing into a far more conventional piece of work than one might’ve anticipated. The storyline, which essentially follows teenagers Nick (Michael Cera) and Norah (Kat Dennings) as they meet and fall in love over one long and eventful night, has been augmented with a number of entirely needless elements that detract from the strength of the two leads’ palpable chemistry, with an ongoing subplot revolving around the disappearance of Norah’s friend certainly the most obvious example of this. Cera and especially Dennings’ effortlessly charismatic and compelling work does ensure that the movie suffers when they’re apart, as evidenced by a mid-movie stretch in which they’re separately off doing their own thing. Still, it’s hard to deny that Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist remains entirely entertaining from start to finish – with the sporadic inclusion of hilarious cameo appearances proving effective in holding one’s interest. The movie is finally at its romantic best towards the end as Nick and Norah finally spend some time alone, yet one can’t help but question the baffling exclusion of the book’s note-perfect ending.

*** out of ****