Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: October 3, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
So much goes down on Nick and Norah's one enchanted evening that the best advice is to enjoy the ride -- the actual ride -- around this vibrant new New York. Read full review
88
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Though the movie rambles in the middle, it gets back on track when Nick and Norah have a sweet encounter in an unexpected place. The soundtrack is an excellent counterpoint to the film's quirky scenarios. Read full review
88
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
The movie is filled with wonderful music, memorable characters and rich, quotable dialogue. But what makes the picture really soar is the way it reminds you what it feels like to fall in love -- and the endless, countless possibilities a new romance brings. Read full review
85
NPRBob Mondello
Though these two really grow on you, what's almost more remarkable than Nick, Norah or their playlist (which may not be infinite, but really does include some great music) is the quirky, melting-pot world director Peter Sollett creates around them. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
A bright little screwball comedy that speaks for the vitality of new movies. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesMichael Ordona
It is a teen romantic comedy that largely fits the familiar template but is also fleshed out with atmosphere, a nice blend of broad goofiness and sophistication, and two appealing leads who bring it to life. Read full review
80
NewsweekDavid Ansen
If we must have teen movies, let them all be as sweet and seductive as Sollett's smartly observed romance. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Geared more toward teens, although that won't prevent older viewers with an affinity for romance from appreciating the vibes it gives off. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Sollett works easily and well with Cera and Dennings, and lends a touch of awkward realism to what, from a screenwriting perspective, is pure formula. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Some movies skate by fast on slick action. Others snap with crisp dialogue. Nick and Norah springs high on the bounce of its hugely likable leads, Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerTravis Nichols
Let's call this "High Fidelity Nano." It's a little bit less in every way, lighter and cuter than its archetypal elder, but it might just fit your present lifestyle all the better. Who needs to go back to the polysyllabic spree of John Cusack channeling Nick Hornby when you have Michael Cera making awkward emo look so lovable? Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The movie's title proves to be not entirely a case of bait-and-switch. The film really is a homage to vintage Hollywood comedy. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Sollett's working with stale material, clearly. He genuinely likes people, though, and his fondness revives "Nick and Norah" and sets it spinning with camaraderie and hope. Read full review
75
PremiereJenni Miller
It's a fantasy of one night in New York City and all its insanity, grossness, romance, and glamour. Read full review
70
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Like the mix tapes that obsess its main characters, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist builds into something of infectious joy. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Regards its characters with affectionate detachment, and assures its audience that no great calamities or revelations are in store. Instead, there are a series of small crises and tiny epiphanies, all adding up to a story that courts triviality in its pursuit of charm. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Director Peter Sollett (Raising Victor Vargas) and cinematographer Tom Richmond transform nocturnal New York into a soft-focus wonderland for their sweet but screwball courtship. Read full review
70
TimeRichard Corliss
Though this Nick and Norah have a lot more angst, they're just as worth watching, admiring and cuddling up to. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
It's the journey that matters, however, and sometimes the film doesn't seem to know where it's going. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
The conceit here is that if a boy and a girl love the same music, that means they're in love. Who am I to argue with such poetic whimsy? Read full review
63
New York PostKyle Smith
It has a dogged all-night charm and a sense of who its audience is. Read full review
63
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Has been designed to make gentle hearts soar beneath neo-grunge exteriors. It's a mixture of high-SAT humor and high-jinks so crude they're really low-jinks. Read full review
60
SalonStephanie Zacharek
The movie itself seems to be locked in a kind of adolescence; it never quite blossoms into maturity, into a fully rounded whole. Read full review
60
SlateDana Stevens
So slight it's almost diaphanous--an hour after seeing it, what the movie leaves behind is not so much a memory as a mood. Still, it's a fine mood. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Every generation deserves its ultimate high school romance, and Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist clearly aims to take the slot currently open. Despite a valiant attempt, though, it doesn't quite make the grade. Read full review
50
VarietyJohn Anderson
This is the kind of sparsely plotted comedy that depends on compelling characters, but it stars two young actors defined by ironic detachment. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Lacks some of the idiocy of your average teenage rom-com. But it doesn't bring much to the party. It sort of ambles along, with two nice people at the center of a human scavenger hunt. It's not much of a film, but it sort gets you halfway there, like a Yugo. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Sollett, hoping for a "Before Sunrise/Before Sunset" vibe, sadly settles for a soggy aftertaste. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Within the realm of a mildly good time. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianStan Hall
Lest anyone think this soils Cera's record, the movie actually highlights his unique gifts; his easygoing chemistry with co-star Kat Dennings is practically the only thing about this picture that isn't pathetically contrived. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
All I can seem to muster, post-screening, is a modicum of fondness and a probably impermanent relief that the film isn't anywhere near as awful as it might have been in less capable hands. Read full review
10
Village VoiceRobert Wilonsky
Plays like something crafted in a lab by 54-year-old hucksters trying to sell shit to the kids under the cheerless guise of "alternative." The only thing it's an alternative to? Good. Read full review
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