Film

An emo cover version of a John Hughes comedy, Peter Sollett’s tale of two music-obsessed teens updates the template for today’s iYouth; these kids may hide their lovelorn hearts under hoodies instead of Le Tigre shirts and ’80s thrift-store chic, but the song remains the same. Nick (Cera) makes mix-CDs for his shallow ex-girlfriend. Her friend Norah (Dennings) keeps retrieving the discs from the trash and swoons over how, like, their musical tastes are so compatible. After meeting cute at a downtown club, the twosome race around New York City in search of a secret gig their favorite group is playing. Gay bandmates and Norah’s drunk best friend (Graynor) add to the evening’s misadventures. It’s not a question of whether these soulmates will hook up, but what too-cool-for-school tunes will play on the soundtrack along the way. 

Cera and Dennings make this rote underage rom-com tolerable; his natural awkwardness and her eye-rolling sarcasm are a peanut-butter-and-chocolate combination. Still, not even those adorably geeky actors can stave off the sense that the movie’s appeal is aimed solely at a specific demographic. Unless you believe that Death Cab for Cutie’s lyrics really speak to your life, Nick and Norah’s charms are frustratingly finite.