Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist Blu-ray Movie Review

A teen-genre jolt that *gasp* treats its young audience intelligently...

In the sea of shining stars that was the ensemble cast of the late, great Arrested Development, Michael Cera emerged as one of the series' standout leads. Weaving teenage angst, emotional confusion, and pubescent shame into a bumbling, well-intentioned young man named George Michael had to be a challenge... transforming his limited television exposure into a successful film career had to be even more difficult. Yet Cera has accomplished all this and more, quickly vaulting from inexperienced character actor to one of Hollywood's must-have wunderkinds. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is his latest foray into cinema -- a sweet and charming coming-of-age romantic comedy that finds Cera struggling with his confidence in and out of love.

Nick and Norah find out what happens when designated driving leads to love...

Based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist introduces Nick O'Leary (Michael Cera), a down-on-his-luck bass player who's just been dumped by his girlfriend Tris (Alexis Dziena). With nothing to care about aside from his indie rock band, The Jerk Offs, the lovelorn musician decides to bury his head and pluck away at his guitar strings in front of local club crowds. However, when he meets a feisty cynic named Norah (Kat Dennings) and joins her for a night-long Manhattan misadventure, he begins to realize there's more to life than pining for an ex-flame. As the two wounded romantics turn their affections toward each other, they develop an unexpected bond that leads them to question the direction of their lives, their future, and their budding relationship.

Following in the footsteps of a recent rash of critically acclaimed genre flicks like Juno might put other directors under extreme pressure, but Peter Sollett (Five Feet High and Rising, Raising Victor Vargas) pulls off a teen rom-com trifecta. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist boasts a pair of actors with undeniably authentic chemistry, an increasingly hilarious series of events, and a sharply-written script that avoids artificial sentimentality at every turn. The result is a love story that actually works; a romance that feels as spontaneous and surprising as its characters' reactions suggest. Cera and Dennings aren't simply doe-eyed idealists brought together by fate... they're world-weary realists desperately trying to survive in a world full of selfish and manipulative peers.

It's Nick and Norah's underlying innocence and their more apparent unsuredness that makes their relationship so utterly convincing. Sollett doesn't feel the need to resort to gross-out gags or heavy-handed, R-rated shenanigans, but instead presents his young characters as intelligent human beings who simply lack the experience they need to identify the mistakes they're making. More importantly, the film's humor is smartly penned and meticulously constructed, sidestepping easy jokes and one-liners in favor of clever jabs and soft-spoken defensiveness. Sollett's reliance on such deceptively refined dialogue and natural exchanges allow the story and its characters to leave a lasting impression.

That's not to say Sollett and screenwriter Lorene Scafaria never fall back on familiar genre conventions. The film's supporting characters are often reduced to superficial caricatures, a few minor plot developments are contrived, and some of the humor doesn't share the same spark as the rest of the film. Even so, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a rarity in teen cinema; a carefully crafted coming-of-age tale that never panders to its target audience and rarely sacrifices its intelligence for an easy laugh or quick tear. I can't guarantee everyone will enjoy it as much as I did, but fans of smarter genre fare will find just as much to love in this fresh film as Nick and Norah find to love in each other.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist arrives on Blu-ray with a vivid 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that frequently renders the film's dark city streets with the same care as it does its lush, retro-pop interiors. Whether bathed in cold alleyway light or warm neon-infused club signs, primaries are vibrant (albeit at-times overbearing, as is the case with red lights used in a handful of scenes), skintones are natural, and blacks are nicely resolved. Contrast is strong as well, crafting a comfortable, eye-pleasing image that never feels too hot or too murky. Likewise, delineation is spot on and rarely allows shadows to obscure the backgrounds or overwhelm foreground objects. More importantly, fine detail is sharp and revealing -- textures are crisp, edges are well-defined, and the various street signs and billboards are perfectly legible. I didn't catch any instances of banding or aliasing, artifacting is kept to an absolute minimum, and Sony hasn't employed any nonsense like DNR. In fact, the picture has a moderate veneer of grain that gives the unassuming production a classy, filmic appearance.

Unfortunately, a few issues prevent Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist from looking as good as it could. First and foremost, the film's grain field is a bit uneven, assaulting darker shots to the point that the image occasionally looks rather noisy. Crush also makes its presence known and undermines the transfer's otherwise impeccable delineation. It doesn't help that some shots look softer than others, reducing visibility in a few key scenes (look no further than Tris' dance in front of Nick's car). Still, each problem is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things and doesn't hinder the overall experience. The transfer may not be entirely perfect, but it comes pretty close.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Even more impressive than its video transfer is Nick & Norah's robust and reliable Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track. Whether being shouted in a crowded club or whispered on a quiet street, dialogue is crystal clear, intelligible, and perfectly prioritized in the mix. Low-end extension is consistent and sturdy as well, lending voices weight and effects genuine presence in the soundfield. While rear speaker support isn't quite as aggressive as other reference-level tracks, the soundfield features plenty of lively ambience, convincing interior acoustics, and precise directionality. Moreover, the film's dynamic soundtrack sounds fantastic -- guitar strums are distinct and stable, bass beats are powerful and resonant, and lyrics float freely amongst every other element in the soundscape. Smooth channel movement rounds out the memorable sonic experience, capping off a track that allows both audiophiles and casual listeners to easily immerse themselves in the film.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist may not have rumbling earthquakes, collapsing buildings, or invading alien hordes, but it continually invites the listener into its reality with an oh-so-effective and nuanced lossless track. Sony once again proves they can put together a satisfying AV package that turns heads and faithfully represents its source.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray edition of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist not only delivers all of the special features that appear on the concurrently-released DVD, but also features a trio of compelling exclusives (including a second full-length commentary). While there aren't any substantial behind-the-scenes documentaries, the only real downside to the supplemental package is that most of its video content is presented in standard definition. Ah well, fans of the film should be more than pleased with everything Sony has packed into this one.

• Filmmakers' Audio Commentary: Director Peter Sollett, screenwriter Lorene Scafaria, and authors Rachel Cohn & David Levithan discuss the original novel, its adaptation, and the differences between the two. Granted, it's not as chatty or casual as the cast commentary, but it does offer an interesting and informative exploration of the film's story, characters, and themes.
• Exclusive Telestrator Commentary: This time Sollett is joined by cast members Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, and Ari Graynor for a funnier, more engaging commentary that finds the participants doodling and circling points of interest in each scene. The young actors clearly have as much chemistry behind-the-scenes as they do on the screen and their chat is entertaining to say the least. They don't delve into the production as much as Sollett and the writers, but the director does a fine job focusing their discussion.
• Exclusive Cinechat Feature: With this interactive feature, you can watch the movie and send instant messages to other viewers. It's not something I'd ever use, but I know a teenager's desire to text their friends knows no bounds.
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes (SD, 10 minutes): A decent collection of cuts and extensions that earned a few laughs from me. Each scene was wisely trimmed from the final edit, but they're still worth watching.
• Ari Graynor's Video Diary (SD, 4 minutes): This quick glimpse behind the scenes had just started to peak my interest when it came to an all-too-abrupt end. It's too bad Sony couldn't find more candid footage to toss into the supplemental package -- it looks as if the cast and crew were having a great time.
• Puppet Show by Kat Dennings (SD, 5 minutes): For far too long, puppets have been overlooked, unappreciated, and tossed aside. Well, no more. Dennings revives the lost art with her own puppets and earns this middle-aged man's utmost respect.
• Outtakes (SD, 4 minutes): A brief gag reel that sees the cast members losing their composure and laughing uncontrollably.
• Faux Interview with Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, and Eddie Kaye Thomas (SD, 4 minutes): The title is so self-explanatory that it takes all the fun out of the accompanying short.
• Storyboard Animations (SD, 9 minutes): Storyboards with optional commentary.
• Music Video (SD, 3 minutes): A music video for Bishop Allen's Middle Management.
• Exclusive Interactive Playlist: This pop-up trivia track also allows viewers to create their own playlist using songs from the film.
• Peter Sollet's Photo Album: Production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and more.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a surprisingly disarming and intelligent romantic comedy that remains fresh despite its reliance on a few familiar genre cliches. The Blu-ray edition is just as good (if not better). It features an excellent video transfer, a top notch TrueHD audio track, a generous collection of supplements, and even some significant exclusive content. Whether you already caught Nick and Norah's misadventures in theaters or have been patiently waiting for it to arrive on Blu-ray, I can't recommend this release enough.