Movie review: Nick & Norah

I had been looking forward to watching Nick & Norah's Infinate Playlist for months now. I never found the time to go see it at the theater, and was excited to watch it on DVD.

I have been a fan of Michael Cera's since his Arrested Development days, and I first really noticed Kat Dennings in Charlie Bartlett. So seeing them together was something I was definately anticipating. I wasn't disappointed.

Remember when the teen comedies were subpar to the adult comedies? 1984 gave us Romancing the Stone, Ghost Busters & Beverly Hills Cop. How many of us (or our parents) would choose to see Sixteen Candles instead? But today things have changed. Is it because films aimed at adults have lost their magic, or because films aimed at young people have stepped it up a notch? Maybe a little of both. Especially in the Romantic Comedy sub-genre. Within a month of Nick & Norah's release in theaters, The Women and My Best Friend's Girl were released. As a woman in her early thirties, I'd much rather see Nick & Norah.

I cannot presume to speak for the Hollywood powers that be, but my own theory is that romantic comedies aimed at women who are grown have become drivel because screen writers, directors and actors think that we're all as obsessed with recapturing our youth as they are. The writing has become senseless, the direction incoherent, and the acting subpar.

However, the teen flicks have become more off-beat, witty and just the right balance between reality and escapism. The actors aren't just pretty faces, they have talent, or at least the potential for it.

I, for one, am tired of the cookie-cutter romantic comedy. If they can keep action, horror & dramatic films fresh, why can't they do the same for comedies & romantic comedies? Maybe they think that if we'd rather laugh than cry or scream we must be idiots that can watch recycled scripts time and time again.

In closing, I'd like to say that I am happy that Indie films are becoming more accesable to everyone. This is where the future of good film lies.