Nick (Michael Cera) was dumped a month ago, but he can’t quite get over his completely wrong for him ex and keeps making her mix CDs. Norah (Kat Dennings) plucks these CDs from the trash when the ex chucks them, and falls for the man making them. The two bump in to each other at one of Nick’s bands gigs, but the two’s baggage is ever present.
This is a very frustrating movie. I found myself yelling at Norah to just tell him about the mixes, and at Nick to stop obsessing over his vapid ex who is far form right for him. The problem is that it’s pretty true to life.
I’m not old enough to have forgotten the kind of girls you can get all wrapped up in when your younger. So Nick being head over heels for a complete idiot isn’t unrealistic in the least. Being the arty type I can relate a bit, though I was hardly a hit with the ladies back then. Or probably now. And while its realistic it lets the film down a little as what would be frustrating to witness as a friend is even more frustrating as a viewer. Nick and Norah are so ridiculously right for each other that watching them fumble it so much for the first hour is just annoying. At times anyway.
Norah is damned adorable. She’s the kind of girl that I would have KILLED to have known back in the day. She’s also some kind of weird combination of my ex and my current partner too which made this film a lot easier, and slightly weirder, for me to relate to. How anyone couldn’t fall for this girl I’d never understand.
The film has other weak points outside the frustration at the story between the two leads. Norah’s drunk friend provides some gross out humour which didn’t really seem to fit the film and didn’t sit all that right with me at times. It drags at points, and feels over all a bit disjointed.
It does have an excellent sound track though. Not QUITE as excellent as I hope for going in, but still very good stuff if you like indie music. Which I do. I felt slightly cheated by the fact the Vampire Weekend, who’s name you can see in the titles, don’t seem to show up until the end credits. And I really wanted Fluffy to be an actual band that you could here rather than a set up and maguffin.
It’s a good coming of age love story, but not a great one. The two leads are excellent. Cera is realistic as the love struck emo idiot, and Norah as I’ve said is someone who’s easy to feel for. I wish it was more music nerdy though, and that there had been more close play rather than devisive play with the two main characters for the first two thirds. Not amazing, but very decent.
Next up: Citizen Kane. No that’s not a joke.
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