Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a cute, thinly-plotted flick about a great teen night out in the City. At one point, Michael Cera and Kat Dennings (Charlie Bartlett), who have little romantic chemistry, end up at Electric Lady Studios, named after Hendrix’ last studio album. Hendrix only used the studio briefly before Air India transported him to his final resting place. They say he died of drink, but what’s in those fogger cans Air India breaks out upon landing?

Hendrix spent only four weeks recording in Electric Lady… Hendrix created his last ever studio recording: a cool and tranquil instrumental known only as “Slow Blues”. He then boarded an Air India flight for London to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival, and died less than three weeks later. [Wiki]

He had spent the later part of the evening before at a party and was picked up by girlfriend Monika Dannemann and driven to her flat at the Samarkand Hotel… Hendrix… had taken nine of her prescribed Vesperax sleeping pills… [and] had asphyxiated… in his own vomit, mainly red wine. [Wiki]

The movie is a mild, teenybopper tone poem, underwritten compared to Juno and with the plot depth of Dude, Where’s My Car. Arlene’s Grocery, McCarren Pool and Crash Mansion aren’t really underground, and while the movie mocks hipsterism, it indulges in it too. Lots of indie darlings including Vampire Weekend made the soundtrack. Nick and Norah is, however, hyperlocal to East Village (Veselka Ukrainian!) and Lower East Side. The movie it most reminds me of is Jaane Tu, a pæan to hooking up in Bandra.

Nick and Norah is very As-Am, co-starring Aaron Yoo and John Cho (Harold and Kumar), an Arlene’s hype man who wears a ‘Challah Back’ t-shirt. Devendra Banhart, whose music is on the soundtrack, has as cameo as a creepy customer at a deli, and a couple of desi extras flit through frame. Cera’s band has an amusing conceit — he’s the only straight member — but this being Hollywood, they’re neutered straight-hags existing only to usher the rom-com pair to their inevitable intersection. New York is a full-fledged cast member, flaunted in the way you might find an Uncle Sam Burgers near Portobello Road.

Perhaps the subtlest bit in the movie is a two-part hat tip to When Harry Met Sally: a drive-by of Katz’s Deli and a later petit mort. They’re separated by enough frames that I’m not entirely sure it’s intentional.

The trailer:

Related posts: Banhart sings the blues, The fabulous ‘Bartlett’ boys, Supergood, DeBotchKa