Review: (500) Days of Summer

‘Romantic comedy’ has become a dirty phrase. It embodies all that is wrong with Hollywood, as it throws its latest concoction of trite plot lines, odd supporting characters, ridiculous situations, and “happy endings” at the audience. Is it really “happy” when too obnoxious people suck face and declare to spend the rest of their lives together raising obnoxious children? (500) Days of Summer is romantic and  funny, but I could never demean it by calling it a modern romantic comedy.

When I first clapped eyes on the (500) Days of Summer trailer I was smitten. Frankly, Summer could not get here quick enough. So, did it live up to expectations?

The story is pretty simple: As the poster says, “Boy meets girl, boy falls in love, girl doesn’t”. It is about the gap between romantic expectations and reality. The painful truth that the object of your affection doesn’t always feel the same way.

The 500 days in the title refer to the time that Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is front and foremost in Tom’s (Joseph Gordan-Levitt’s) noggin. The film flits back and forth between the good times and bad; the initial stages of courtship where each person seems to perfectly fill the needs of the other, the later stages where cracks appear, to the post stages when one person still clings to that initial hope while the other, realistically, moves on.

This is one of the most romantic films that I have ever seen. Even when Tom is down on his luck, a magical romantic glow, sometimes melancholic, sometimes radiant, drips from every seam.

Zooey Deschanel (All the Real Girls, The Good Girl, Almost Famous, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) is perfect in the role of Summer. Never earnest, she does some particularly subtle work in her last scene in the film, where, you can see that while she does honestly care for Tom, she also enjoys his attention and almost takes pleasure from the effect that she has on him.

As Tom, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is excellent. Never out of character, he nails the small moments reacting to Summer’s presence and action.

The supporting cast have little screen time as the film focusses on its two leads, but, in possibly my favourite cameo of all time, Harrison Ford does pop up in a rather unexpected place. It shows an attention to detail and lack of cynicism that highlights the writing and direction. Clearly, this was a labour of love for those involved.

I am not sure when filmmakers mistook quirk for character, but there is a prevalence of quirk in indie cinema today. In some cases, such as Juno, it is self-conscious and perfectly awful; it hides the emotional truth of situations behind a smoke-screen. However, in cases such as (500) Days of Summer, it integrates well with the story, adding additional colours to an already absorbing tale.

I have now seen the film twice in three days which, I guess, is a recommendation in itself. I feel that this will be a film I will cherish for a long time for its honest depiction of love and loss. But most of all, it offers something rare in today’s modern life; hope!