Hooves on the Turf

I finally got around to watching Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and it was terribly disappointing. If you strip it of all its superfluous “indie” details, like Crash Mansion, Bowery Ballroom and Union Pool (or, “Brooklyn Pool”), it’s just another teenage movie template bloated with convenient circumstances. The new girl is entirely likable, even to the gay band, and is in love with music; whereas the ex-girlfriend is annoying, unfaithful, and can’t even get the band name “Where Is Fluffy” right; in the meantime, the new girl’s ex-boyfriend is full of himself and a douche as well, so of course our music-loving, heart-broken protagonist should get on with this new girl! This setup is in remarkable contrast to Juno, where all the characters are wholesome because they’re flawed yet able to stir empathy, and the events that unfold are neither extreme and bizarre like what happens in Hard Candy, nor as easy as picking a cool girl over a tiny slut.

The musical aspect of Nick and Norah was a bigger disappointment, though. I thought I saw Mark Mothersbaugh’s name in the opening credits, but I’ve no memory of hearing any music that stuck out, not even Bishop Allen. When I watched Little Miss Sunshine for the first time, and Devotchka’s “The Winner Is” led the opening montage, I was covered in goosebumps and totally sold! Music was integral to that movie, but it was never self-proclaiming or obvious. It’s kind of irritating that Nick and Norah professes the central role of music up front, starting from the title itself, but does absolutely nothing to pay real homage to it. All the inconsequential allusions to it are degrading, if anything.

I’m not convinced by the movie’s “indie” details either. This is entirely subjective, of course, but for the kind of band it was implied to be, a nonchalant name like “Where Is Fluffy” sounds highly unlikely to me. Who would this band be in real life? White Rabbits?! It’d have to be a band popular and adventurous enough to have that kind of following, be given all that attention by (presumably) mainstream radio, and play the kind of spot they end up playing. Some band like Arcade Fire or Fleet Foxes: big enough to get away with most things and “small” enough to do seemingly “indie” things. But I can’t imagine them calling themselves “Where Is Fluffy”, unless they were also DJs by night. Even something silly like “Project Jenny Project Jan” is a far more well thought-out name with an actual ring to it. In any case, would the security personnel at Bowery Ballroom and Union Pool really recognize the daughter of a legendary recording studio by face? Half the time they probably don’t even recognize the drummer of the band playing that night! In fact, I was told that when they were shooting that scene in Union Pool, the Union Pool staff didn’t recognize Michael Cera and tried to ID him.

There were a few things I enjoyed though: the gay band, the drunk friend, Aaron Yoo, the gay Jesus play, and the car.

* Brilliant post title by Tom Inhaler.