Tuesday 13 March 2012

Devouring Films: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

I feel relatively indifferent about this movie, I think mainly because I'm jealous that I didn't get to gallivant around New York City on a Friday night and have the opportunity to fall in love with Michael Cera. But also because, there were things I liked about it, and things I didn't. Let's look at those, shall we?

Stuff I Liked:

  • Kat Dennings and her amazing boobs: I like many things about Kat Dennings other than her boobs (desperately trying to defend my objectifying of women) but they do provide a sort of plot point in the movie. So it's valid to mention them, and the fact that they're amazing.
  • Michael Cera being that guy: Cause we all know he plays the same guy in every movie, and yet it doesn't matter because we all love him, right? Whatever, he's adorable.
  • Norah is awesome: Quite aside from being played by Kat Dennings and so automatically being awesome; I really like Norah because she's comfortable with being who she is, and also kind of proud of it- she's decided not to drink, and really owns that decision, when she could really just as easily be bullied into drinking at any time. Is that a good teenage role model I see?!
  • The randomness: I didn't like all of the randomness, but I liked the running around Manhattan in a crazy rush and the idea of a night where literally anything could happen. Basically, random=fun!
Stuff I Didn't Like:
  • The drunk friend: Norah has this completely annoying friend who gets disgustingly drunk, and then just spends the rest of the movie stumbling around, being all annoying and drunk. I don't find drunk people very funny, unless they're people I'm already know and so it's hilarious seeing them being all different. She wasn't only annoying for being drunk though, she was also the worst possible friend, and it made me wonder why Norah had kept wanting to be her friend for so long. It just bugged me.
  • The horrid ex-girlfriend: A lot of the story, for Nick, involved getting over his ex-girlfriend, so she's an important fixture in the film. The only thing is, you have to wonder what Nick ever saw in her- she's petty, irritating, and, you know, essentially a giant bitch. But then, this is what Nick comes to realise, so I guess it's pretty important that she is. I just didn't like her (as I was supposed not to. Hmm...)
  • The mayhem: There are a lot of random occurances, so it sometimes just all seems a bit much. And, you know unlikely. In other words, I really can't decide whether I like the randomness or not. 
Now that I've been properly thinking about it, I think I like this film more than I dislike it. So that's good! I think, in the end, Norah's awesomeness really cancels out all of the things I didn't like so much about the film, and wanting her to be happy in the end made all of the insanity worth it. I didn't realise this was also a book until Alice was talking about it (ages ago, it took me a looong time to be bothered to write this review) so I kind of want to read it and see how it compares. AND I now want to find my musical soulmate because, well, that would be completely awesome...

17 comments:

  1. NOT a bit fan of the movie. I think I might have liked it had I not read the book right before seeing it. Book was SO good!

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    1. Ah, I shall have to check out the book then! I do like the movie only not that much only I don't have enough reasons not to like it... so I sort of like it!

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  2. Umm AGREE on Kat Dennings, I wish she was in more movies. She's pretty awesome, like a gritter version of Emma Stone. Who is also awesome. And yes, who couldn't like Michael Cera? His lanky social-awkwardness is too funny.

    But otherwise, I thought this movie was kind of bad... I don't remember if I liked the book or the movie better. I think the book was slightly better, though I can't remember why. I guess I was just expecting everything to be better because I read Dash and Lily's Book of Dares first and that was the BEST. David Levithan & Rachel Cohn did a great job with that one, but not quite so much with N&NIP.

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    1. Fair enough! It did annoy me with all the running around and arrrgh, but I was still just like Norah! I love you! So there was that.

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  3. "I like many things about Kat Dennings other than her boobs (desperately trying to defend my objectifying of women)"

    Kat Dennings' boobs sounds like a good reason to see this movie. Also re objectifying of women...I mean...it's not so much objectifying, because you're not completely ignoring her as a person; you're just like "ALSO she has amazing boobs." Which is something she's probably proud of and would like to be acknowledged.

    Also, in the book, drunk friend is not so much there. Because she gets taken away in a car early on and doesn't reappear. And Evil Girlfriend kind of redeems herself. Not sure if this happens in the book.

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    1. Thanks for reassuring me on my level of objectification! I hope she is proud of her boobs because they are bloody amaaaazing!

      I already like the book better than the movie because drunk friend annoys me SO much though. Like, Norah's constantly trying to find her, and I'm all like Norah! Let her go! So yeah. It's like the book corrects all the things that are wrong with the film! (yes I realise the book was first... so why did the movie people mess it up like that?!)

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  4. I'm pretty sure I've said this a million times so apologies for the repetition (unless you didn't notice how often I repeat myself, in which case, ignore the previous words) but I'm sure had I seen this movie when I was like 15-16 it would have been the Best. Movie. Ever. Instead I thought it was meh, although like you, I can't deny that awesomeness of Kat Dennings and Michael Cera.

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    1. Dude, that is SO true! If I'd seen this when I was like 16, I bet I would have been sooo annoying about it! Also I'm not sure you've said that before but you may have. But you've probably said it cumulatively on blogs and things. At which I am SHOCKED that you see other blogs (not really. Hehe) Kat is the greatest ever and I LOVE her!

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  5. I never read the book, but I enjoyed the movie well enough. And the soundtrack has a great Rogue Wave song - so there's that too.

    Also, agreed on point #1, but in a hopefully not-creepy way!

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    1. Hehehehe, not too creepy anyway! Her boobs are amazing, I think we all have to face it!

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  6. I loved the book version of this, but haven't watched the movie version because I hear there's a very graphic and disgusting vomiting scene, and since those scenes tend to make me ill for years afterwards (that is NOT an exaggeration), I avoid them at all costs. So sadly, this is one I will never see.

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  7. Oh dude, there so is! Yeah, you should definitely avoid this, cause there's a whole ongoing joke thing to do with the vomit too, that's supposed to be funny, but that I found really really gross.

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  8. I haven't seen this movie and I feel like my life is lacking now. I agree about Kat Dennings and Michael Cera is awesome. I may have a crush on him.

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    1. I think I have more of a crush on Kat Dennings than Michael Cera... but he is pretty cute too hehe! It's an ok movie- kept me entertained for like an hour and a half, anyway!

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  9. I echo your feelings on this film - I got to the end of it and thought 'meh', but since then (several months ago) I've thought about it a lot, and now would be keen to see it again.

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