I will be the first to say that I am a fan of the romantic comedy. The
right on screen chemistry can make for a fun, though seldom memorable,
time at the theater. That said they usually all follow the same
template. Boy meets, loses, reclaims. Roll the credits. (500) Days of
Summer does what few films in this genre dare to do. That is show the
reality of the pain that relationships can be.
Marc Webb directs this Drama/Comedy/Romance about Summer (Zooey Deschanel),
a quirky and free spirited young lady who does not believe that true
love exists or is possible. When she catches the eye of young love
optimist Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) she sends him on an emotional roller-coaster and us on a thoughtful journey.
What
I particularly liked about this film may put other cookie cutter, in
the box, movie goers off. The 500 days that Tom and Summer spend
together are not told chronologicaly. You get random clips of early,
mid and late Summer if you will. Some would argue that it could have
been told in order and been better but I think by doing that you miss
the contrast the film is conveying. Like real relationships we often
lose sight of the early joys once things go south. So instead of having
20 minutes of happy, then 20 minutes of sorrow, then 20 minutes of
reconciliation you instead get this woven tapestry of the entire
relationship.
As always Zooey Deschanel
is delightful. She is so comfortable on screen that you can relax and
enjoy her character without worry. True she varies little from past
roles in her delivery and movement but it works. Few others can convey
thoughts on love and life like Zooey. Her eyes tell a lot about her
feelings and this adds a very personable attribute to her performance. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
is a good Tom in that his average Joe demeanor fits the character. I
can believe this guy is a wanna be Architect who writes greeting cards
for a living. That is important.
Webb takes a lot of chnaces with
this film and lucky for him they work. From the soundtrack (which is
superb) to a random musical dance number, to tons of subtle movie
references; all this quirkiness could have made for one heck of a mess.
Instead what you get is a funny, refreshing look at relationships. And
sure it isn't tied up in a pretty bow but nothing in life every is.
(500) Days of Summer is rated PG-13 for sexual material and language. The sexual stuff is
tame but they do push the envelope on the language. Nothing gratuitous
but still geared for an older audience. Not that your 13 year old would
even care to see it I would still shoot for 16 and up. I give (500)
Days of Summer 4.5 out of 5 Congrats! Sure you don't want films like
this all the time or they would lose their magic. But when one does
come along it is very refreshing and a must see. So says Matt Mungle
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