Metascore
64 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 32
  2. Negative: 1 out of 32
  1. 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.
  2. 88
    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.
  3. Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    88
    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.
  4. Reviewed by: Bob Mondello
    85
    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.
  5. Reviewed by: Michael Ordona
    80
    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.
  6. Reviewed by: David Ansen
    80
    If we must have teen movies, let them all be as sweet and seductive as Sollett's smartly observed romance.
  7. A bright little screwball comedy that speaks for the vitality of new movies.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    75
    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.
  11. 75
    Geared more toward teens, although that won't prevent older viewers with an affinity for romance from appreciating the vibes it gives off.
  12. Reviewed by: Jenni Miller
    75
    It's a fantasy of one night in New York City and all its insanity, grossness, romance, and glamour.
  13. 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.
  14. Reviewed by: Travis Nichols
    75
    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?
  15. 70
    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.
  16. Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    70
    Though this Nick and Norah have a lot more angst, they're just as worth watching, admiring and cuddling up to.
  17. 70
    Like the mix tapes that obsess its main characters, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist builds into something of infectious joy.
  18. 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.
  19. 67
    It's the journey that matters, however, and sometimes the film doesn't seem to know where it's going.
  20. 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?
  21. 63
    It has a dogged all-night charm and a sense of who its audience is.
  22. 63
    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.
  23. 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.
  24. 60
    The movie itself seems to be locked in a kind of adolescence; it never quite blossoms into maturity, into a fully rounded whole.
  25. Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    60
    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.
  26. 50
    Sollett, hoping for a "Before Sunrise/Before Sunset" vibe, sadly settles for a soggy aftertaste.
  27. 50
    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.
  28. Within the realm of a mildly good time.
  29. Reviewed by: Stan Hall
    50
    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.
  30. Reviewed by: John Anderson
    50
    This is the kind of sparsely plotted comedy that depends on compelling characters, but it stars two young actors defined by ironic detachment.
  31. 40
    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.
  32. Reviewed by: Robert Wilonsky
    10
    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.
User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 98 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 33
  2. Negative: 11 out of 33
  1. EricM.
    10
    I never written a review for a movie but I had to due to the harsh treatment this one was receiving. I felt something for the characters and that says a lot. IIt was a little cheesy at times, but thats fine, with these types of movies you have to lose yourself, it's fiction after all. Full Review »
  2. JillD
    5
    Cute with some funny parts. I would wait for the DVD.
  3. A charming little film, and Cera's chemistry in this with his opposite number (Kat Dennings' Norah) was far more endearing than that he had with Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers in Scott Pilgrim, where the romance we were supposed to buy into just came off as cold and rigid. This said, a bit like the same Scott Pilgrim, Infinite Playlist has as much to owe to its supporting cast - Nick's bandmates in particular stand out in much the same way his flatmate and hangers-on did in Scott Pilgrim. Indeed, you'll have to forgive the direct comparisons, as it's what the other half and I kept doing while watching it. You'll definitely enjoy this if you like Cera's other more recent work. While I'd say that it's lightness on the obscure Indie references makes it accessible to the majority, it is a relatively straightforward film where some character development is sorely lacking. We were agreed it's a good little watch for a quick, cute movie, but I think a lot of our enthusiasm was carried by Cera's presence and Dennings' own performance. Full Review »