You’re Literally Like My Musical Soulmate

Romantic comedies typically get a bad rap because most of them are geared totally towards the female persuasion, not caring that they are alienating half the population in the process. Then there are the few romantic comedies that manage to get both sides of the sex’s right and that is the case in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Michael Cera (Arrested Development) is the Nick in the title living out a younger version of Jon Favereau in Swingers after girlfriend, the unlikeable Alexis Dziena (Invasion), but not in a good way, dumps him and he is still calling and making mix tapes a month later. But instead of an obsession with swing music Nick is in a gay-homosexual band (despite being into chicks).

Norah, played by Kat Dennings (The House Bunny) manages to be snarky and likeable when she happens to get Nick to pretend to be her boyfriend to prove to Dziena (they go to the same all girls school complete with uniforms) that she has one not know that Nick was the Nick that keep on giving Dziena mix tapes after she broke up with him. And in their mutual dislike, they decide to hop around New York City looking for the elusive and aptly titled Where’s Fluffy.

But before they can scour the city there is Norah’s very inebriated friend that needs to make it back home which fall in the hands of Nick’s bandmates and groupie, for the lack of a better word, just known as Lothario, who would obviously not take advantage of her drunken stupor. Naturally this still do not go well when she escapes and Nick and Norah have to add finding her to their list of things to do like find Where’s Fluffy and avoid their ex’s, Norah’s of which comes in the form of Jay Baruchel (Undeclared).

Oddly enough a movie with the Infinite Playlist in the title, the music isn’t as memorable as you would especially compared to other music reliant movies like Swingers or Garden State with the expect of Middle Management by Bishop Allen (which you may remember from the trailer). And Where’s Fluffy is built up so much it is hard to be anything but disappointed with their music, although the writing gets creative with the ending to alleviate that especially if you pay attention to Nick and Norah’s last conversation. But at the very least, this movies can give anyone hope that their musical soulmate is out their someone. Now if I can just find someone who has both Frank Sinatra and A Tribe Called Quest on her iPod.

Be sure to check out the extras on the DVD where Dennings gives a five minute puppet version of the film. No seriously.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.