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Parents' Guide to

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Teen romcom is believable but on the edgy side.

Movie PG-13 2008 90 minutes
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 15+

Based on 11 parent reviews

dvdgirl
dvdgirl Adult
February 9, 2019
age 15+

Cute

I thought it was a cute movie.

This title has:

Great messages
1 person found this helpful.
SuprKong
SuprKong Adult
March 20, 2012
age 16+

You know you've found "the one" if they can give you an orgasm?

Funny and witty movie that could be very influential for teens. This movie romanticizes teen sexual behavior. Frequent straight and gay sex is treated as the norm for these teens. Parents are mostly absent. And the main message-- the only way you know you've found "the one" is if they can give you an orgasm? As an adult, I was very entertained, but I couldn't help thinking how destructive this could be to teens who think this is how they need to be to fit in.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 11 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Nick (Michael Cera) is a sensitive high school senior who plays bass in a band, drives a beloved Yugo, and burns soul-baring compilation CDs for his ex-girlfriend Tris (Alexis Dziena). One night, Nick meets Tris' classmate Norah (Kat Dennings), a fellow indie rock lover, after a gig in Manhattan. The two instantly bond over their devotion to the fictional band Where's Fluffy, which is supposed to play at an undisclosed location in the city. While Nick and Norah search every possible club and bar for Fluffy, Nick's bandmates agree to drive Norah's drunk best friend home to New Jersey. What ensues is like Where's Waldo? meets Before Sunrise.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (11 ):
Kids say (26 ):

Director Peter Sollett infuses this reasonably engaging film -- based on a young-adult novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan -- with the staples of most romantic comedies. There's the meet cute, a night out in New York City, comic-relief best friends, witty banter, and even a gross-out gag or two. And while the two protagonists -- especially go-to adolescent lead Cera -- are believable as hip-but-shy, sensitive-but-worldly, city-savvy-but-suburban-dwelling teens, parts of the film lag, get bogged down by the drunk-friend subplot, and just aren't as funny as the filmmakers intended.

What does work is the movie's vision of MySpace-generation teens as candid and tolerant. The teen culture in the film includes ubiquitous use of technology, gay and straight best friends, a rich record-company heiress who falls for a guy who drives a Yugo, girls who wear private school skirts by day and sexy mini skirts by night. This is the world that 21st-century teens live in, even if only a tiny fraction of them use New York's post-punk clubs and greasy spoons as their playground.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the real-life consequences of the characters' behavior, particularly the underage drinking. How do you think a night like the one in the movie would turn out in real life?

  • Talk about whether this movie offers a realistic depiction of today's teens. How do TV shows and movies usually portray urban-dwelling teens as opposed to suburban teens? The film makes teens seem very accepting of friends with different cultures and sexuality. Teens: Is that the case with your friends?

  • Does the way the characters use technology seem realistic? How is media a part of teen daily life?

Movie Details

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