The Red and Black

Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Variety

Grade: B- Verdict: For those who admire the antihero or who have liberal tendencies, go to the movie and enjoy. For those who prefer a conservative outlook, you may be repulsed by some of the premises. [Click to enlarge]

Filmed entirely at night in New York City, the movie "Nick and Norah" sets the environment of a fast paced city's underground music scene. The sound track blends perfectly with the cinematic pans from TriBeCa to Brooklyn's Union Pool music venue, and includes tracks from Vampire Weekend, Band of Horses and Devendra Banhart.

Nick (Michael Cera) is an obscure music lover whose passion is compiling perfect playlists - High Fidelity comes to mind. His perfect girl who seems more evidently a cruel narcissististic bubble of a person has ended their not-so-perfect relationship.

Along comes Norah (Kat Dennings), a deeply sensitive and perceptive person who has rescued almost every one of Nick's trashed CDs he has made to regain his ex's love. She then nurses a fond crush of Nick's taste in musicians.

The night' begins when Nick's band "The Jerk Offs" is playing a show to which both girls attend. A hilarious subplot quickly ensues in a quest to find Norah's hopelessly drunk friend, while the goal of the evening is a treasure hunt search for a mystery show performed by "Where's Fluffy?," a favorite indie band of Nick's.

The movie is filled with small deviations and running jokes that feel natural and awkward, like cafeteria lunch talk. The light vignettes occasionally fall short, though, perhaps intended for a younger audience not yet jaded to alcohol's side effects.

The movie would seem to be about young love uniting over the bond of obscure musicians, yet the most telling commentary of the movie is on acceptance. It's a movie about antiheroes, the ones who are excluded in society's quest for defining identity. Many modern-day societal controversies are brought up to be refuted: gay public affection, women making the first move, drag, sex on the first date, curvy figures and self-deprecation.

Instead of shocking, it's a smooth adjustment to normalcy.

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