Blu-ray Movie Reviews

"Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" is a comedy about two people thrust together for one hilarious, sleepless night of adventure in a world of mix tapes, late-night living and live, loud music. Nick (Michael Cera) frequents New York's indie rock scene nursing a broken heart and a vague ability to play the bass. Norah (Kat Dennings) is questioning pretty much all of her assumptions about the world. Though they have nothing in common except for their taste in music, their chance encounter leads to an all-night quest to find a legendary band's secret show and ends up becoming the first date in a romance that could change both their lives.

Teen romantic comedies don’t really do much for me but this one has a nice heart and great performances. The film seems a bit more grounded than most that deal with this subject matter and has a maturity to it that is rare. Because of its tones and easily identifiable characters I could see this one appealing to a wider audience than you’d normally expect from this kind of film. A great one for a date night.

Sony continues to serve up solid HD presentations and this one is no exception. The film takes place mainly at night in downtown New York and its contrast levels and dimensionality even in the darkest scenes holds up well. Details are great with even fine detail holding up strong in the darker sequences and the image has a very film-like look to it. Fine film grain is preserved and never gets out of hand despite the darker backdrop. Colors are very natural in tone and balance and black levels and shadow detail are strong.

The TrueHD soundtrack is chocked full of great indie music throughout the film and it definitely highlights the strong showing of the 5.1 mix. Ambiance is excellent and the club environments do a great job of filling the soundstage with a realistic balance of music and ambiance. Dialogue is never lost in the shuffle and timbre is very natural. The bass line is impressive in the club sequences and adds a nice low end to the track.

Sony has included some great BD-Live extras on this one. You can send instant messages to friends watching the film or even put together your own playlist using songs from the film. Supplements also include outtakes and deleted scenes along with a music video, director’s commentary and storyboard animations. A second disc includes a digital copy for portable devices as well.

Teen romantic comedies are rarely this charming. Sony has done a great job with the extras and presentation on this one making it an easy recommendation for fans of the film and the curious alike.