You know how we're always complaining about how the teen movies of today don't stack up to the classics of the '80s? I think we might finally have to shut up about that this October when Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist hits theaters.

The trailer has me feeling both excited and nostalgic. The chemistry between Nick and Norah has a Say Anything vibe to it. The all-in-one-night bonding of this new group of friends is a total The Breakfast Club After Dark. And the plight of the missing drunk friend is reminiscent of the sublime silliness of Adventures in Babysitting. I've encountered some internet griping by outraged fans who are already convinced the movie ruins the book (looks like I'll have another young adult novel to read for the fall movie season after I finish Twilight), but this looks like a fun, charming teen romantic comedy to me. It's been a while since we've seen a good one of those. And I think we can thank Michael Cera for the genre's return to form.

In his short time as a leading Hollywood man-boy, Michael Cera has accomplished a great feat: he's brought "the geek" back to the big screen. Now, I know that seems like a crazy thing to say, as our culture has been pretty geek-obsessed for most of this decade. But most of the people calling themselves geeks today are just hipsters in disguise, especially in movies and on TV. The truth is, if The Breakfast Club were made today, Anthony Michael Hall's "brain" character would be given all the funniest snarky lines, have the best taste in music, and make the cleverest pop-culture references. He would probably be played by Gossip Girl's totally un-geeky Penn Badgley. Ever since Seth Cohen made road trips to Comic-Con cool on The O.C., his so-called brand of geekiness has become mainstream. But Michael Cera has brought the movie geek back to its true roots -- as a vulnerable, angst-ridden outcast. With his soft voice and nervous laugh, Cera is able to conjure up the true terror of being an awkward teenager. With so many movies and TV shows for teens centered on the future Lauren Conrads and Brody Jenners of the world, Cera's earnest authenticity is a much-needed throwback to the glory days of the John Hughes era.

In Superbad and Juno, Cera played the kind of teenaged boys I remember knowing in high school. When I go see Nick and Norah this fall, I'm hoping to see the first teen movie this decade that will make teenage life look painful enough that I'll actually feel nostalgic for it.

Recommend (0)

|  Comments (0)

|  Email

|  Share

Share  Facebook Digg del.icio.us