'Nick and Norah' saved by eclectic indie soundtrack

By: Alysson Cwyk

Posted: 10/3/08

Every few years, a set of fresh actors rise from the depths of child star fame, attempting new roles, yet are still recognized and associated with their first breakout performance rather than a current project.

In the early '90s, Macaulay Culkin was type-casted as an annoying brat in the "Home Alone" series; Haley Joel Osment as the kid who saw dead people in "The Sixth Sense"; and now, Michael Cera, as the nerdy-but-cool-in-an-odd-way character in "Arrested Development," "Superbad," "Juno" and his latest endeavor, "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist."

When asked if his roles would change in the next 10 years, from awkward high-schooler to something more mature, Cera said, "I'd like to play Groucho Marx one day. No, I'm kidding. I don't really have plans. I just take things one at a time." Typical.

Based on the young-adult novel written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan and directed by Peter Sollett ("Raising Victor Vargas"), "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" revolves around a group of music-loving students from New Jersey, equipped with "bridge-and-tunnel" attitudes. Traveling throughout New York City in search of their favorite band, relationships evolve, drama ensues from ex-flings and somehow everything works out through the appreciation of indie rock.

Nick (Michael Cera), a mix-tape making, hoodie wearing bassist, is heartbroken by his recent split from Tris (Alexis Dziena), the spoiled girl who doesn't even bother to listen to the creative musical masterpieces he's created for her. At one of Nick's gigs, Nick is approached by the Jewish, music-mogul heiress Norah (Kat Dennings), asking to be her boyfriend for a mere five minutes-just to make her rival Tris jealous. If the story wasn't already twisted enough, Nick's bandmates and a slew of friends travel from venue to venue, wishing to find the location of the secret Where's Fluffy? show. Through the course of one night, Nick and Norah go from absolute strangers to lovers, drawn together by their addiction to sound.

"I kind of just liked the director and the script. I knew that he [Peter Sollett] would do it authentic," Cera said when asked about accepting the role of Nick. Filmed for a month straight in New York City, the cast spent hours together on and off the set exploring what the city had to offer.

Cera said of New York: "It enhanced the movie. It was definitely better than filming anywhere else, that's for sure. It was just exciting for me to spend that amount of time in New York. During the filming, I guess because there were such pivotal locations that were mentioned in the book and in the movie … we got to go there beforehand and experience those places. That was great."

Location names are constantly dropped, like a free advertisement for the venue promotion company Bowery Presents. Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy and singer/songwriter Devendra Banhart make some unexpected musical-artist-turned-movie-extra cameos, but the film actually features some eclectic music, which makes one look beyond some of the unrealistic elements of the storyline.

The chemistry worked well between Cera and Dennings on screen, as Cera continued to play the same character he is known for-the shy and witty geek who gets the rebel girl.

But the two were also very similar outside of their roles, which probably led to their relatively genuine characters.

"We're both Jewish. That was actually another thing that attracted me to it [the script]. I don't see that in love interest films very often. I think that it's a nice thing to see. We're both brunettes," Dennings said with a laugh.

With a confusing storyline that eventually plays out to a decent ending, "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" is a fun date movie that will leave you with a stellar soundtrack playing in your head for days to follow.