Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist IS AMAZING!

So I'm changing the direction of this blog after 2 posts and some careful thinking to...movies.

I'm a huge film fan and I studied it in college, so there you have my 'careful' thinking. As such, I've seen a lot of movies throughout my short life, and a wide assortment I should say (right now, out of the library, I have the original Hitchcock classic Rebecca, the indie Garden State, a movie on Benedict Arnold for my work - I research American history for potential film storylines - and a German film called My July), but few movies I call my favorites, and even fewer I can say changed my life in some way.

I'll start with one of the most recent ones. I just saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist for the second time yesterday. It came out this past Tuesday, and I actually pre-ordered it (something I rarely do - since I am cheap I always wait to buy DVDs used). In fact, I think I've only pre-ordered DVDs on 2 occasions - a Pre-Code Hollywood collection and 30 Rock season 2. And 1. OK, three times. So this was a big deal for me.

When I saw it again, it was as amazing as the first time, and even more so, I think, because, as was the case with the above movie I wrote about, a lot had changed since I first heard about the film and read the book to when I actually saw it. This time for the better though.

I heard about the movie first, and, being a Michael Cera fan, I decided to check the book out. HOW THIS STEP CHANGED MY LIFE I CAN'T FULLY EXPLAIN. I checked the book out of the library and ended up reading it within days (which is super fast for me). Then I went out and bought the book, another thing I rarely, rarely do. But I couldn't help it. The moment I started reading the book I knew it was something different. First of all, it was written by a guy and a girl, so that guy's parts are written by the guy and the girl's written by the girl. Second, they jump back and forth between the two - that is, one chapter is the guy, the next the girl, the next the guy, and so on, which made it interesting, because some parts overlapped. I didn't mind. Third, it is one of the best-written books I have ever read in my life. It's classified as 'Young Adult,' which makes sense for the theme and characters, but not for the writing. I'm usually embarassed when I check 'YA' books out of the library because I'm way past that age. But this one I didn't care. Instantly, the authors pulled you in to these characters. I almost got whip-lash from how fast I got to know them. They were also incredibly deep, insightful, and perceptive, something you rarely see in modern writing (at least the books I read). I felt like the authors were writing something that pertained to me as well, and I could relate to the feelings like I never have before. So I can't fully explain how the book completely changed me when I first read it this past summer, but you get the picture.

As I said, it took me a few days to read the whole thing. I was busy. I had work, etc etc. But right after I finished it, there were events that changed the way I thought of the book and movie.

I was in New York City, sitting on the floor in Barnes and Nobles in Columbia Circle, reading the rest of the book. It was raining so incredibly hard outside and the floor inside was covered with people seeking a refuge from the rains. I was waiting to meet up with my friend Katie and killing time. She was living, for the summer, in the most beautiful 'palace/mansion' in the city. I call it that because I have never seen, and probably never will, a more beautiful apartment. It was worth millions, really, and she was sub-letting it for next to nothing. Consequently, I went over to stay a lot so I could feel like a queen.

I was excited for a few reasons that night. 1. I just finished the book. 2. I got to see Katie. 3. I got to hang out with this really cute new guy I had met weeks before. This was the first guy that I actually liked since I broke up with my ex, and he had the capability to take my mind off him, which no guy has done since. Plus, he was super cute, from Cali, and in med school in the city. Perfect. And he quoted 30 Rock to me. I fell instantly.

I had hung out with him before, but tonight was different. We started off on the Upper West Side, traveled with his roommate to an Indian club downtown (and though we were the only non-Indian people, we rocked it), and then walked back up to mid-town before grabbing a taxi back uptown. The night lasted hours, and it was one of those beautiful late summer nights where you could walk comfortably late at night. I love walking in the city, and I love doing the spontaneous things we did, like jump in a cab and wander until we found the first Indian club we went to. I love doing different things like that and just following the night, seeing where it takes you, and, of course, New York City is the best place for that because they truly have something for everyone! Long story short, that night felt to me exactly something out of Nick and Norah, simply for the all-night random adventure around NYC, complete with a few impromptu make-out sessions on a park bench, against a closed bakery, in the middle of the street....etc. So I felt quite close to the story at that time, and I couldn't wait for the movie to come out!!

I remember the film came out on a Tuesday in early October. The 5th or 6th. I remember the date so well, because the day before, that Monday, I found out my ex had a new girlfriend. For the second time in my life, after the breakup, I felt my heart literally sink. Though enough time had past, I still was not over it, and I wanted to cry and scream and puke and...just sleep. It was horrible. But on the upside, I had two things to look forward to the next day, which couldn't come fast enough: 1. Nick and Norah and 2. my pre-ordered 30 Rock season 2 DVD would arrive. It was supposed to be an AMAZING day. Unfortunately, I could barely get through work, hours after the fact, without crying. But I still looked forward to the movie. I got my DVD in the mail and went to the long-awaited free movie Tuesday with my friend Katie, who was so great to me for that entire week, hanging out with my every night so I wouldn't be alone and talking, well, more like listening, to my rants. I don't know how I would have gotten through that week without her, or those DVDs, or that movie.

Anyway, the movie was everything I hoped it would be. Yes, things were changed from the book (um, he says 'Will you be my girlfriend for 5 minutes,' not her!) but I didn't mind. I'm not the type of person that expects the movie be exactly like the book, even if they are both my favorites. So I walked out of the movie refreshed and alive, a feeling I get after viewing only a handful of movies. I knew then I would buy it, which, I said before, is another rarity for me. It gave me hope, made me laugh, and just uplifted my spirits at a time when I needed it the most (of course, when I woke up on Wednesday morning, it was like a truck hit me all over again, but at least I was satisfied and my mind occupied with something other than him for those few hours on Tuesday night).

I also love the film because it is not only an adorably awkward (and real) love story (I myself am awkward about 98% of the time, can you tell?), but a love story for, and about, NYC and youth. The combination of the young characters who are visibly nervous and -I'll say it again cause I know of no other word - awkwardly trying to get to know each other in the middle of this great city is, for some reason, so inspiring to me. The film does a great job of focusing on the city - its atmosphere, its attitude, its vibe, its enchantment, especailly at night - and also on this would-be couple, who are just two people randomly running around in a city boasting a population of millions. When there are so many stories out there in New York, it is wonderful and refreshing to see a movie that can focus on the larger-than-life character of the city, and 2 of its smaller inhabitants.

So, in a nutshell - and my above 10 page rambling paper on the subject - Nick and Norah was simply amazing. You should go rent it, buy it, read it. Whatever. Just do it.