(500) Days of Summer
This is not a love story.
We are told this via narration from the very beginning, but it’s hard not to give in to expectation as we watch this young couple fall for each other because after all, we’re kind of falling for them to, or at least falling in love with the idea of falling of love. And we want things to work out for them, for us as well, and we’ve been told our whole lives by movies and books and music and television that love works a certain way. We have a preconceived notion of how these events will play out. Sure there will be a misunderstanding, some time apart, but true love always wins out in the end.
Well, this is not a love story.
(500) Days of Summer is the feature film directorial debut of music video director Marc Webb and comes from the writing team of newcomers Michael Weber and Scott Neustadter, whose only other credit is Pink Panther 2 but don’t let that scare you. It stars Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as Tom and Summer, respectively, two twenty something’s working at a greeting card company, something that serves a thematic purpose, in LA. It’s an examination of the process of falling into and out of love; from the initial meeting, the flirtation, the passion, the loss of passion, the break up, the pain, and eventually the healing. It covers each important step in a way that rings incredibly true and should speak to anyone who has ever been through a similar situation. It’s the kind of movie that will have you thinking “this was made just for me” even as half the audience is thinking the same thing.
One of the more interesting aspects of the film is that it doesn’t show this process in a linear fashion. The movie is constantly jumping around within the 500 days in which it takes place. The transitions are never jarring and are often quite clever, such as when it shows the stark contrast between an event taking place when the couple is at their happiest and then immediately cutting to a similar event when the relationship is all but over.
This may sound like a somewhat somber film, but it’s absolutely not. It doesn’t shy away from heartbreak and doesn’t give in to romantic clichés but it’s an absolute joy to watch. It’s directed with a certain whimsy, almost as if it were a fairy tale, and in that way reminded me of Stranger Than Fiction. It’s also full of humor, often of the “sometimes you gotta laugh to keep from crying” variety. There is a brilliant musical/dance sequence that perfectly captures the feeling of absolute euphoria when you think you’ve succeeded at capturing your object of desire. It includes a “Star Wars” moment that caused an uproar, in a good way, in the audience. It’s one of the best uses of a Star Wars reference I’ve ever seen. The film is actually loaded with clever and meaningful pop culture references but never goes overboard with them. They actually contribute to the story instead of just serving as a way for the filmmakers to say “look how hip we are”.
The performances from the two leads, particularly Gordon Levitt, are very charming. It’s surprising to me that Levitt isn’t a huge star by now. He’s finally appearing in some big budget films with GI Joe later this summer and Christopher Nolan’s Inception next year. It’d be nice to see him break out big. I generally don’t like Zooey Deschanel and her wide eyed “deer in the headlights” approach to acting. She is usually devoid of charisma but managed not to annoy me this time out, so that’s saying something. More than the performances though, I was impressed with Marc Webb who really knocked it out of the park in his first time at bat. He infused an incredible visual style into what could have been a by the numbers indie flick and is definitely a director to watch out for.
So if you’re looking for a romantic comedy, which I suppose this could be labeled as, that doesn’t insult your intelligence and actually leaves you with a lasting impression then I highly recommend that you seek this out. It’s currently vying for the number one spot on my favorite films of the year.
