Infinitely awesome

I couldn’t have dreamed of a more perfect movie.

Upon first hearing about “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” I was concerned it would try to capitalize on a string of quirky comedies that exploit indie rock.

Luckily, the film, based on the book written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, creates a genuinely hilarious and adorable romantic comedy.

Nick, played by Michael Cera (“Juno,” “Arrested Development”) and Norah, played by Kat Dennings (“House Bunny”) are high school seniors and total strangers who meet while in limbo between terrible relationships.

As the film progresses, the two realize these relationships shouldn’t be controlled by pure attachment and an unnecessary low self-esteem problem. They also find out they are “music soulmates,” which sounds pretty dumb, but is actually heartwarmingly funny.

The humor depicted here is a younger-generation descendent of Judd Apatow. The inappropriate and gross stuff is still there, but there’s also relevance and pop-culture shout-outs, not to mention universal hilarity based on human lunacy.

Unlike “Juno,” it’s not filled with one-liners and an incomprehensible lingo. And in contrast to “Garden State,” the music isn’t force fed, but naturally woven into the plot.
And yes, the soundtrack is great. But it only enhances the movie, instead of making up for a lack of plot and character development.

Even better, bands featured here like Vampire Weekend and Takka Takka have actually played in Bloomington recently, and the band Cera’s Nick opens for, Bishop Allen, is on local label Dead Oceans.

The score also features an original theme courtesy of former Devo member and Wes Anderson wonderboy Mark Mothersbaugh.  

This will certainly give the awkward music lovers of the high school generation confidence and hope.

All the actors, from Cera and Dennings to supporters Jay Baruchel and Ari Graynor, deliver strong performances and make sure the characters aren’t cliches or archetypes, but real.

The film does feature typical constructions, from douchebags who want to be in a band for the fame and girls to wannabe hipster sluts who don’t know anything about music, but they’re played as realistically as possible.

I wish this movie had come out when I was a teenager, but it is still great to be able to watch a high school flick and actually appreciate it, instead of feeling like an old fart.

Cynics will find “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” a bit too optimistic, but that’s OK, as it’s always the ones who don’t try to be happy that remain miserable. So here’s to happy endings for awkward, crazy kids who really like music.