Day 247 of the challenge! Got to Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist on my backlog, and have to say, ya'll REALLY overhyped it.
I like the idea of what Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist tried to be. Two lonely and damaged people bonding over music (and what that music means to them on a deeper level) sounds like a perfect teen romcom. Instead, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist ends up being a series of misadventures featuring 2 (somewhat I guess) likable teens coincidentally meeting (there's an unknown connection between the pair before they actually meet), and falling in and out of like with each other for what seems like an eternity. The movie's barely 90 minutes and it still felt like I was stuck in that bargain scene from Doctor Strange.
We're told Nick and Norah have issues (time and time again), but in a carefree fantasy world where 17 year old high-schoolers can stay out and drink in New York literally all night with no real obstacles to overcome, consequences to face, or money to worry about, I couldn't care less about them. There's no dramatic weight to anything, yet the film repeatedly tries to manipulate you into thinking there's something actually at stake.
As for the playlist angle, you'd think a movie about music would at least have a killer soundtrack, but that's not the case. You could hold me at gunpoint and demand I remember at least one song from this movie, and I would die. The New York setting felt more like a character than any of the music in the film, which was admittedly very well shot. The cinematography is easily the most memorable aspect of this film. There are so many sweeping and carefully framed shots of the city to fill in running time, I would bet that if you showed this movie to anyone and not tell them what it was called, they'd think New York was in the title.
This is starting to feel a bit ranty (for a film I'm more indifferent about than anything. You want a real rant, check out my Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom post), so I'll just go ahead and end it with a "not my cup of tea."