500 Days of Summer
review by Matthew Rodgers
“Life isn’t like it is in the movies” is a cliché as well worn as those that have littered the countless sub-standard rom-coms endured these past few years and those are too many to list here. It cannot however be levelled at Marc Webb’s fantastic fairy tale hued story of two star crossed lovers, that may well turn out to be the single most enjoyable film of the last 500 days, let alone year.
Brilliantly flitting back and forth like a romantic Memento, we are privy to interludes from the turbulent 500 days during which Tom (Gordon Levitt – Brick) falls in love with the titular Summer (Deschanel – Elf). Sharing in the intimate first exchanges, the euphoria of falling in, and the despair of falling out of love. And don’t think that’s a spoiler, the opening narration clearly states that “this isn’t a love story”. It is one bravely unrecognisable from the rom-com genre, but familiar to millions as “reality”, albeit with scene-of the-year song and dance number in the middle.
Always dependent on the power of the leads to make affairs of the heart believable, 500 Days has a real trump pairing in Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel. He delivers another turn to add to an already glowing CV by making Tom entirely likeable with very little effort, and she reminds us that there is life behind those eyes following her comatose performance in The Happening, even if the script does falter slightly with her character conclusion during the wrap-up.
Together they spark as an adorably attractive noughties couple, with a shared passion for The Smiths and a cute chemistry that’s infectious beyond the confines of the screen. More resonantly is a shared misinterpretation of classic film The Graduate, just one of the many moments to remind you that despite the endearing nature of some hand drawn graphics and heightened peripheral characters this film has a core that rings true.
Set-pieces aren’t exactly order of the day, it’s a movie of small moments, the majority of which are superbly executed; the playful trip to the furniture store, the make-out in the photocopy room, and the simple joys of a park bench, all very uncomplicated stuff that’s brought to life by energetic exchanges of unforced dialogue.
Not everyone will fall for the seemingly saccharine coated prospect of watching “another rom-com”, and those sensibly convinced to do otherwise cannot fail to be engaged by this stylistically woven story. It’s where the journey takes the viewer that is most rewarding, for once the genre doesn’t treat you like an imbecile and offers a completely different kind of optimism than you might expect. And if that doesn’t make you want to spend 95mins with Summer, then know this, there is no mismatched couple that hates eachothers guts, no “getting to know the family” based set-piece, and most importantly, no dash to an airport to stop the girl of your dreams. That in itself is a relief.
