Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Ever since Zach Braff unveiled his 2004 pet project Garden State to rave reviews and an eager hipster market, Hollywood has cozied up to concept of the indie soundtrack flick. In this genre, the film doesn't need to be about the story as much as the music that ties it together and Hollywood has opened their eyes to the potential green. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is no exception.

Infinite Playlist introduces us to Nick (Michael Cera), a broken-hearted, bass-playing teenager and Norah (Kat Dennings), a prep-school princess whose father is a record studio mogul. The film follows the unlikely couple as they spend the night driving around downtown New York City, playing B-sides and hidden tracks, while trying to find a secret show by their favorite band, Where's Fluffy. On one level it's a subversive nod to the wrong-side-of-the-tracks romance, reminiscent of West Side Story. But mainly, it's just another Garden State-variety teenage romance.

The film itself knowingly lacks substance, forgoing character development or background in favor of appealing to the same shallow demographic which the characters represent. Nick (Cera) is more or less a broad caricature of the so-called "straightedge movement," invoking the "so-uncool-I'm-cool" attitude representative of modern hipster culture. He admittedly has a bad haircut, wearing Chuck Taylors and a greasy Mechanic's jacket with a patch designating the original owner as "Salvatore." He spends his days making mix-CDs and his nights scouring the city for small venues with even smaller artists. He doesn't drink. He doesn't smoke. But he listens to better music than you do.

Norah (Dennings), on the other hand, is the misunderstood outsider. Unfortunately, she's only an outsider to the other rich girls at the Uptown prep school she attends, making her that much more unconvincing as the standoffish rebel she portrays. Though we know she doesn't fit in, we aren't ever given an explanation as to why. The only information we are given is: A) she doesn't like Nick's ex-girlfriend Tris (played by Alexis Dziena) and B) Shess extremely bitter (apparently because she's sick of having the music-savvy boys she likes fall for girls like Tris), and C) she salvages Nick's mix-CDs that Tris so unceremoniously discards, forging an imaginary connection to a boy she has yet to meet. This is supposed to explain the underlying connection Nick and Norah feel when they finally meet, but unfortunately undermines the assumption as the possibility is even less convincing than Dennings' character.

Watching the opening credits, you will likely make the comparisons that screenwriter, Lorene Scafaria, hoped when penning the adaptation. The obvious choice of course being 2007's Juno, another Michael Cera vehicle which garnered critical praise for its portrayal of a pregnant teenager. But while Juno and Infinite Playlist both set the tone of the film by showcasing their excellent selection of music and while they both feature Michael Cera in starring roles, that's where the comparisons end. Infinite Playlist lacks the sarcastic wit of Juno, the depth of character from Garden State, and the plot substance of any given Cameron Crowe film, falling considerably short of its predecessors.

In the end, Playlist is merely a music-snobs guilty pleasure; a world filled with secret shows and hidden tracks where everyone listens to Band of Horses and Broken Social Scene. It's a world that's hardly accessible to those outside of the scene, but maybe that's the point. Maybe the film isn't supposed to be inclusive; maybe it's supposed to be exclusive - a hipster's inside joke where terminology like "queer-core" and "import" are conventional, everyday language. In a way, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is its own "secret show" and you shouldn't feel bad if you don't understand. You probably weren't invited.

The Burnside Writers Collective fundraising campaign has begun. If you can donate a few bucks, we'd be grateful. Here are a few ways we want to say thank you:

Donations under $35: A Burnside sticker.

$35-$59: A copy of Donald Miller's upcoming book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and a Burnside sticker. The book is due out in 2009. We may or may not be able to get copies before they hit the stores. Regardless, you'll get when we get it.

$60-$99: An autographed copy of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, a book of your choice penned by one of our contributors* (list of options below) and a Burnside sticker.

$100-$199: An autographed copy of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, two books penned by our contributors, a Burnside t-shirt and a Burnside sticker.

$200 or more: An autographed copy of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, all five books penned by Burnside contributors, a Burnside t-shirt, a Burnside sticker and your name listed as a Burnside Patron on the new site.