Film Review- Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
The Beauty of Being Norah
by Amanda Williams
Film Overview: The film Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist records one eventful night for Nick, Norah and their friends. As passionate lovers of music, Nick and Norah first meet when they set out separately on a quest to find the same elusive, obscure band performing late that night. Upon meeting Norah, Nick begins to really like her (she also begins to truly like Nick). Norah must then choose whether or not she is willing to compete against Nick’s “perfect” ex-girlfriend in order to win Nick over.
Norah, played by Kat Dennings (40 Year Old Virgin), is not the kind of girl we typically see portrayed in film. However, she does seem to be more of a real girl. She seems very much like someone you might know in real life. In this way, Norah challenges society’s depiction of what it means to be a girl.
Norah’s character challenges the stereotypical “girl” role & develops into someone different, yet familiar. Norah listens to obscure bands and walks around wearing huge headphones. (In media, this is typically something a boy would do.) She is self-conscious (like most girls) but also finds strength when she needs it (like most girls). She calls people out on their nonsense, but because she is not completely confident, she tends to do it passively. She has a rich and very powerful father but does not let everyone know about it and does not act as if she is better than everyone because of it.
Norah (Kat) is a very pretty, even beautiful, girl. She is not the “traditional” pretty, though. She is not a tiny, skinny girl. While she is certainly not plus-size, she is definitely curvy. Her body and beauty is more representative of the average, attractive American girl than the representations of girls we have gotten used to seeing in the media. This is important for all the girls in America who rarely see a true representation of themselves in movies or on TV. Norah is also quite busty, yet she does not flaunt that- in fact, she almost seems self-conscious about that, as well. This is also good for girls, because they can see that they do not have to act or dress in a way that is revealing in order to be attractive.
Norah seems to change her view of herself based on the circumstances and who she is around. This challenges media’s typical portrayal of girls and women because the media normally shows females changing their attitudes and behaviors consciously in order to be appropriate or to fit in. In Norah’s case, though, (as in real life) she does not seem to be aware of how her attitude and behavior changes because of her surroundings. For girls with identity or self-esteem issues (and I think that covers most of them/us), this shows that they are normal and watching Norah might help them become more aware of their own subtle changes in different circumstances.
When Norah is first getting to know Nick, she is awkward and uncomfortable about herself in general, and about her appearance, in particular. She jokes with Nick about being able to “floss” with his ex. When Norah is compared to Nick’s ex, Tris, (either by herself or by someone else), she instantly feels physically inferior. Tris tells Norah that she (Norah) will have better luck with college guys because “that’s when guys really get into stuff like how smart a girl is. You know, it’s not all about looks” (15:25). When Norah is alone, however, she seems completely content with her body and with herself as a person.
This movie is a wonderful portrayal of what it is really like to be a girl. It will help girls to see that they can be beautiful as they are, that they do not need to change themselves for anyone other than themselves, and that being insecure is completely normal. I loved this movie. It is well-written, the acting is great, and it is well-directed. The result is a touching film that will make you laugh.
by Amanda Williams
Film Overview: The film Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist records one eventful night for Nick, Norah and their friends. As passionate lovers of music, Nick and Norah first meet when they set out separately on a quest to find the same elusive, obscure band performing late that night. Upon meeting Norah, Nick begins to really like her (she also begins to truly like Nick). Norah must then choose whether or not she is willing to compete against Nick’s “perfect” ex-girlfriend in order to win Nick over.
Norah, played by Kat Dennings (40 Year Old Virgin), is not the kind of girl we typically see portrayed in film. However, she does seem to be more of a real girl. She seems very much like someone you might know in real life. In this way, Norah challenges society’s depiction of what it means to be a girl.
Norah’s character challenges the stereotypical “girl” role & develops into someone different, yet familiar. Norah listens to obscure bands and walks around wearing huge headphones. (In media, this is typically something a boy would do.) She is self-conscious (like most girls) but also finds strength when she needs it (like most girls). She calls people out on their nonsense, but because she is not completely confident, she tends to do it passively. She has a rich and very powerful father but does not let everyone know about it and does not act as if she is better than everyone because of it.
Norah (Kat) is a very pretty, even beautiful, girl. She is not the “traditional” pretty, though. She is not a tiny, skinny girl. While she is certainly not plus-size, she is definitely curvy. Her body and beauty is more representative of the average, attractive American girl than the representations of girls we have gotten used to seeing in the media. This is important for all the girls in America who rarely see a true representation of themselves in movies or on TV. Norah is also quite busty, yet she does not flaunt that- in fact, she almost seems self-conscious about that, as well. This is also good for girls, because they can see that they do not have to act or dress in a way that is revealing in order to be attractive.
Norah seems to change her view of herself based on the circumstances and who she is around. This challenges media’s typical portrayal of girls and women because the media normally shows females changing their attitudes and behaviors consciously in order to be appropriate or to fit in. In Norah’s case, though, (as in real life) she does not seem to be aware of how her attitude and behavior changes because of her surroundings. For girls with identity or self-esteem issues (and I think that covers most of them/us), this shows that they are normal and watching Norah might help them become more aware of their own subtle changes in different circumstances.
When Norah is first getting to know Nick, she is awkward and uncomfortable about herself in general, and about her appearance, in particular. She jokes with Nick about being able to “floss” with his ex. When Norah is compared to Nick’s ex, Tris, (either by herself or by someone else), she instantly feels physically inferior. Tris tells Norah that she (Norah) will have better luck with college guys because “that’s when guys really get into stuff like how smart a girl is. You know, it’s not all about looks” (15:25). When Norah is alone, however, she seems completely content with her body and with herself as a person.
This movie is a wonderful portrayal of what it is really like to be a girl. It will help girls to see that they can be beautiful as they are, that they do not need to change themselves for anyone other than themselves, and that being insecure is completely normal. I loved this movie. It is well-written, the acting is great, and it is well-directed. The result is a touching film that will make you laugh.
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