There comes a point in every great movie where I kinda stop and take stock of everything I've seen up to that moment. It happens quickly and without plan, and I know from that point that I'm watching something special to me. It happened while watching 500 Days of Summer atleast twice. The only film to equal that? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a movie I still watch atleast once a month as a matter of principle. Traditional romantic comedies usually push me to the edge of ritual suicide, mainly because they always have so much potential. The few rom-coms that have really hit home with me have dared to be different. I don't mean by being quirky or trendy, but by truly taking an honest look at the many different ways love manifests itself and bevy of other emotions that come along with it. If anything, 500Days of Summer fits that bill perfectly.
The bassy voice of the narrator says it all: This is the story of boy meets girl. Tom, played by my favorite actor going today(atleast until GI Joe) Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, is a hopeless romantic working for a greeting card company. Tom would be one of those guys who actually wants to cuddle and believes in all that chivalry nonsense. He seems to be under the impression that there are no women out there for him and his eclectic tastes. No woman could possibly understand him. That is until he meets Summer, played by the wonderfully reliable Zoe Deschanel. After a meet cute in an elevator where Summer reveals her love for the same rock band as Tom, he knows he's met "The One". The problem? Summer doesn't believe in "The One". She believes love is a faery tale notion and that all relationships end in disaster so what's the point?
Despite this huge obstacle, the two become fast friends, eventually taking their relationship to the next level. Tom is at the top of the world, exemplified by a raucous dance number as he parades through the park followed by cartoon birds and marching band. Not to mention the best Han Solo appearance ever. Period. Summer, for her part, appears equally happy. But soon, cracks begin to show just beneath the surface, culminating in a short, brutal break up that catches Tom by surprise.
500 Days of Summer unfolds in a non-linear fashion, jumping forward in time so that we see some of the darker days ahead for the couple. Then, just as quickly leaping back to when they were at their happiest. Some might not get into the format, but I think it's one of the film's strongest aspects. By using this style, we get to see the subtle changes in body and verbal language that can occur over time. The way something is said at a time of pure bliss can be so devastating if said just slightly different later on. The film blurs by using a number of effects including split screens, and is framed by breaking each scene as another Day. It gives the impression that the film is broken up into chapters of a story, or since first-time director Marc Webb cut his teeth making music videos perhaps that is a better comparison. The film's soundtrack is delightfully eclectic and catchy, much like most indie films of this sort. But it's never distracting and every song utilized fits perfectly.
Much has been said about this movie's similarity to the aforementioned Eternal Sunshine, and it's both way off and on-point. Both films play with the idea of memory, and the way we romantize our memories during the good times and are quick to overlook the warning signs that are right in front of our face. This film isn't nearly as far out as Charlie Kaufman's film, and it never delves into the dark areas that Eternal Sunshine does, but when the narrator tells you that this is not a love story, he's not kidding.
Joseph Gordon-Leavitt and Zoe Deschanel are two actors I've admired for awhile now, and here they provide all the likeable traits you'd expect from this sort of movie. He can't seem to affect anything less than an understated coolness, even when he's not trying to. Tom's personality zips from enthusiastic highs to depressing lows with little middle ground. You can't help but want to see him win the girl he imagines is out there for him. For her part, Deschanel's Summer is the type of woman that would ruin me as well. She's irresistable, both mysterious and charming. The two have good chemistry on screen, but it's not perfect. Part of me thinks that was kindof the point, though.
It didn't take me long to fall in love with this movie, and I'll probably see it a couple more times atleast. I've recognized that I seem to have a love for a lot of these very "trendy" films(Garden State, Nick & Norah), and this certainly falls into that category, but these movies hit all the right notes. Yeah, they are "hip" and perhaps a bit too cool for their own good, but they get the emotions right. That's what makes them cool to me. There's an emotional payoff that's earned that your typical romantic comedy fails to deliver, and that's what I get invested in.
9/10
