Sony PicturesReview in a Hurry: Forget curfew, it doesn't exist in this sparkling movie about young love in the Big Apple. Starring Michael Cera, Kat Dennings and that most magical of movie stars, New York City.
The Bigger Picture: Nick (Cera) and Norah (Dennings) are two bridge-and-tunnel kids, suburban-grown but city savvy. Nick is a bass player in the indie music scene, obsessed with his "mean girl" ex, Tris (Alexis Dziena). Norah, born into privilege, is about to graduate and is full of angst about her next step.
One crazy night at a downtown club throws them all together, and between distractions like Norah's ever-drunk BFF Caroline (Ari Graynor) and their annoying exes, the two discover a much more intense connection than their jaded, ironic selves could ever imagine. The movie is an antidote to self-conscious hipster-itis: Even the coolest kids drop their guard to share a special look, a jacket for warmth, a quiet 4 a.m. walk down a city street. New York is gorgeously filmed, its city lights blinking like fireflies, watching over the romantic proceedings.
But there are plenty of hearty, ew-gross laughs and screwball situations that anyone who went to high school can identify with, regardless if they didn't run around New York City like they owned the place even before they could vote. Handheld camerawork, long close-ups and two leads—Cera and Dennings—who act with fearless transparency lend a welcome intimacy to this sweet adventure.
The 180–a Second Opinion: Nick and Norah certainly doesn't talk down to its audience, with frank discussions of sex and, essentially, an alcoholic teen character in Caroline. Hey, it's nothing the kids of America haven't seen or heard already, but parents might find the PG-13 rating a little light.