500 Days of Summer – Review



“This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know up front this is not a love story.”

The above statement quoted from the Roscoe Lee Browne-like narrator in the opening moments of Marc Webb’s directorial debut tells the audience right away that this is not the typical fluffy romantic comedy that they are expecting or have been accustomed to. In fact, the film should not even be classified as an entry in the sappy sub-genre as it is not a film about romance. It is a film about the consequences of the deluded fantasies one conjures up when romance is simply not there.

This post modern “anti love” story sets viewers up with the classic and archetypal “boy meets girl” scenario.  A greeting card writer named Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) becomes instantly smitten with his boss’ assistant named Summer (Zooey Deschanel) after she expresses the same adoration for The Smiths on an awkward elevator ride. Unfortunately, this is enough reasoning for Tom to think he can build a strong relationship with Summer despite the fact that she is quite vocal about keeping their connection very casual. As one could suspect, it doesn’t end well and through non-linear sequences, viewers take a journey with a heart-broken Tom as he reflects on what went wrong in the relationship.

Considering the fact that this summer has disappointed fans with catastrophic comic book spin offs and lacklustre blockbuster sequels, it comes as  a pleasant surprise to admit that 500 Days of Summer proves to be the best film to see this season. In this Chasing Amy meets Shopgirl tale, screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber dissect Tom’s realistic trajectory of the breakup so effortlessly that it’s clear to see that their real-life tales of woe brought this film to life.  (Jenny Beckman wouldn’t contest to that!) Although, it is through Webb’s innovative and quirky direction that makes this film truly stand out from the crowd. From the film’s hilariously off-putting post coitus musical dance routine featuring Hall and Oates “You Make My Dreams,” to the heart-rendering yet imaginative split screen sequence simultaneously   showing Tom’s reality and his larger than life expectations at a chance encounter with his ex, only forebodes many homages of Webb’s directing style for years to come.

However, much praise has to go out to Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel who play the dumb struck lovers. Lesser actors would have made the characters as unlikable as they are written down in the script, but Tom’s unyielding desperation and Summer’s utter lack of empathy both come across as equally endearing traits and it’s because of that why scenes of the two playing the “penis” game are hard to look away  from instead of being just cringe-worthy.  Finally, Zooey Deschanel’s kooky behaviour serves a purpose in this film and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is finally able to show mainstream audiences unfamiliar with his turns in Mysterious Skin and Brick that he can be a leading man.  The chemistry between these two actors is through the roof, which is impressive to convey considering the film is ironically about the lack of chemistry between the characters.

It is clearly evident 500 Days of Summer is a well thought out and unbelievably clever film. Unfortunately its original concept proves to be far too clever for the curious mainstream audience its bound to attract and because of that, the film at times is forced to ironically fall into the conventions of the genre its giving the middle finger to in able to maintain the attention spans of viewers that get some empty sense of enjoyment from watching Kate Hudson/Matthew McConaughey “rom coms.”

Yes, despite the film’s painstakingly real emotions it’s able to evoke, it falls victim to the “glamorized reality” it has created for its audience.   Viewers will not be surprised to see two wise-cracking sidekicks, a sarcastic voice of reason, and a devastating twist to the film’s protagonist exaggerated for a full theatrical effect. Even the film’s finale screams of blissful hopefulness only witnessed in romantic comedies.  If 500 Days of Summer had focused more of its energy on the bleakness and pain of the breakup rather than pleasing its audience members that require a happy ending, it would have been a perfect dissection of a modern day relationship.

500 Days of Summer proves that not all anti “rom coms” have to reside in the Judd Apatow universe to be truly successful.  One doesn’t have to be a pompous film snob or into the Spoon Pixies to understand and enjoy this well made film. If you can recognize the power of “twenties angst” and how it can consume a relationship, then you can definitely appreciate this amusing and bittersweet drama.

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