Langage: English
Director: Peter Sollette
Starring: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings
My Rating: 3.7/5
"High school student Nick O'Leary, member of the Queercore band The Jerk Offs, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg when she asks him to be her boyfriend for five minutes."
Okay, I know I should’ve read the book before seeing this, but I was on an art trip to New York City and the DVD was in my computer and I had nothing to do, so I decided to watch it. And it was in many ways worth the time.
I enjoyed the movie in that the development of Nick and Norah’s relationship is subtle, not the typical I’ll-spell-it-all-out-for-ya-in-the-first-ten-minutes kind. As the night deepens, you could really see their bonding grow. They didn’t start out liking each other, exactly, but as the night goes on they start to see more and more in each other. To me, that’s exactly how real life works: the unexpected happens all the time, and a lot of things don’t end up where we thought they'd be. The uncertainty, the expérimental and adventrous nature of Nick and Norah’s relationship is probably the biggest success of the film.
My two favorite scenes is towards the end, in the studio, and in Penn Station respectively. The way their chemistry blooms in those two scenes is totally believable yet very adorable (okay I realize that’s a big teaser right there, but in danger fo spoiling it for you guys I won’t go into the deets).
A few things that are in the film’s way of being a fantastic—not just good but amazing:
Nick’s character. Yes, I am charmed by his gentleman-ness, and how he carries a handi-wipe (I have to admit, that bit is really cute). However, other than that I don’t know what else is great about him. To me he seems overly indecisive sometimes, and that lessed my fondness of him significantly.
The course of the night. I know, I sound like I’m contradicting myself. «Didn’t you just say the development of their relationship is the best part of the movie?» I hear ya, I hear ya. What I’m trying to say here is that although the character/relationship growth is beautiful, the events that take place in the night are sometimes hard to follow. After watching the film, it sort of leaves you with this «besides that they fell in love, what exactly happened again?» feeling.
Overall it’s still a nice film, and 90 minutes well spent. It’s very unconventional for sure, not your typical rom-com. Recommended for when you need a change of taste and a dose of adolescent recklessness.
On a side note: The emphasis on music (especially angst music) really reminds me of A Visit From the Goon Squad, a book I'm reading for English class at school. If you like the movie, check out the book; vice versa.
xx
Vanessa :]
EDIT: all things aside, two thumbs up for the soundtracks in this movie! Fantastic picks. Similar to
OST of Perks of Being a Wallflower, but with a more "modern" feel. If anything, definitely check out the soundtracks! It's called Nick & Norah's Infinite
Playlist, after all.
