“NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST”
Starring Michael Cera
& Kat Dennings
Released: Oct. 3, 2008

WATCH THE TRAILER

An entertaining and fun film based on a not-so-great book.

AFTER READING "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, I wasn't really looking forward to watching the movie. I found the book to be trashy and annoying, and I figured that the movie would be the same.

But the film was nothing like I expected it to be. Unlike the book, the plotline was much more visible, and it was extremely funny.

The movie starts with a dejected Nick O'Leary (Michael Cera) in his room after a breakup with his girlfriend, Tris (Alexis Dziena).

Nick, who clearly isn't over Tris, leaves her another CD mix with his favorite songs, hoping to get back together.

Norah Silverberg (Kat Dennings) is the rich daughter of the CEO of a recording company who attends the same school as Tris.

Although she and Tris aren't exactly the best of friends, Norah has heard Nick's CDs and loves them. Even though she's never met him, Norah considers Nick her "musical soulmate" and pities him for how he is treated by Tris.

That night, Norah and her best friend, Caroline (Ari Graynor), go to a club where Nick, the straight bass player, and his queerxcore band, The Jerk Offs, are playing.

Later, to pretend that she hasn't been ditched, Norah asks Nick to be her boyfriend for five minutes and kisses him.

From there the movie takes off. Nick and Norah spend the night trying to find their favorite band, Where's Fluffy?, and Caroline, who got drunk at the club and then ran off.

Along the way, they slowly start to realize their love for each other. Supported by Nick's band friends, they realize that they were meant to be together.

Both Cera and Dennings played their roles very well. Cera was once again the awkward but adorable character from "Juno," and although I've never seen another movie with Dennings, I thought she fit the role of Norah perfectly. She was sarcastic and witty, but also charming.

My favorite character, though, was Caroline. Graynor did a great job of playing a drunk person and was very entertaining.

Graynor, along with Nick's band friends, provides most of the humor in the movie. She had some very amusing and memorable quotes in the movie. One of my favorites was, "Norah I just saw Jesus; you know he's much taller in person …."

Throughout the entire movie, Caroline chews on the same piece of bubblegum. She hands it to a stranger to hold while she eats a sandwich and even dishes it out of the toilet after she threw up. While the gum gets to be quite disgusting (especially when she picks it out of her puke), it does provide comedy, and it is a part of the movie that becomes engraved into your mind.

Although the novel was supposed to be more of a girly book, I felt that the movie version could be watched by both genders. It reminded me more of "Juno" than of "Mean Girls" or any other movie considered to be a chick flick.

The movie really conveyed a message that you should always look beneath the surface. Both Nick and Norah are in relationships with other people who, as Norah puts it, are "friends with benefits." They don't take the time to look for what they really want, and so when the two first meet, they have a hard time realizing that they were meant to be with each other.

Overall, "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" was the best movie adaptation of a book that I've seen in a long time. And it is definitely worth your money to go see it in theaters.

"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" is currently playing at the Goodrich Savoy 16, 232 W. Burwash, Savoy, and the Beverly 18, 910 Meijers Drive, Champaign.

"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" AT A GLANCE

• Starring: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Ari Graynor, Alexis Dziena, Aaron Yoo
• Directed by: Peter Sollett
• Written by: Lorene Scafaria
• Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy
• Rated: PG-13
• Runtime: 90 min.
• Release date: Oct. 3, 2008
• Summary (from IMDb): High school student Nick O'Leary meets college-bound Norah Silverberg at a concert where his band is playing, and she asks him to be her boyfriend for five minutes. They eventually realize they are made for each other.