Ryan McNeil
Love sucks sometimes, y’know that? Oh sure, love all starts out by comparing what bands you both love, and afternoons browsing around Ikea…but that seldom lasts. Once love has had its fill of Poäng chairs and Smiths records, love will leave you standing there and move on with its day. But not before kicking you in the coins first.
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER introduces us to Tom Hanson (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). One could describe Tom as a hopeless romantic, I prefer to see him as a permanent resident on lovesick lane (Takes one to know one). Tom lives an unspectacular life. He wanted to be an architect, but instead has found himself writing greeting cards. He loves The Smiths, The Pixies, Joy Division, and other such bands of unassailably cool caché. And growing up, he misunderstood the end of THE GRADUATE, which led to his lifelong misinformed understanding of love. Then one day, he met Summer (Zooey Deschanel).
Summer’s the sort of girl whose favorite Beatle is Ringo. Why? Because Ringo is nobody’s favorite, and that makes him her favorite. Summer has a knack for making men fall all over themselves trying to get her attention. Men rent her apartments at lower rates. Men go out and buy albums that features songs she quotes. They’ve even lined up in droves to buy ice cream from a stand she’s worked at. There’s just “something about her” as the saying goes. Poor Tom really doesn’t stand a chance.
That’s not to say that he can’t get her attention – he does (eventually, anyway). No, what is bound to doom our hero is the fact that this carefree spirit that is Summer doesn’t believe in love. Boyfriends, girlfriends, engagement, marriage…labels of any kind really. She doesn’t go for any of it. Tom, on the other hand, lives and breathes it. So as we jump back and forth through the 500 days these two souls have known each other, we must ask ourselves – is there any chance that true love can exist for these two? warm and tender, yet still free of labels?
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER starts out as the sort of romantic movie I’ve seen a few dozen times already. It’s the one where the hapless loser falls all over himself trying to land the girl who knows exactly how alluring she is, while an indie music soundtrack wanders in and out at exactly the right moment. However, this movie actually makes a concerted effort not to be that film I’ve already seen, and it succeeds.
I have to give the movie credit – there aren’t many flicks that could make a dance sequence backed by a Hall & Oates track work. Amazingly though, there have actually been a few moments in my life where I could identify with just such a scene.
This story is determined to tell us more than just what happens when boy-meets-girl. It wants to tell us what happens when we try to deceive ourselves in matters of the heart. Tom’s notion of love is truthful; a little tenth grade, but truthful. The relationship he wants isn’t the product of a Meg Ryan movie, it’s an easily attainable happiness with the right girl. Unfortunately, he projects this on to Summer, even though she warns him that she wants something else.
What she wants is also entirely truthful. She doesn’t believe in conventional love, perhaps because she hasn’t found it yet. There are a lot of people who could easily say to themselves “Well, maybe I can change her mind on the whole thing”. But really – how fair is that? She might be able to tear his heart to pieces, but it’s not like she didn’t warn him what she was capable of.
I’ve made much of this movie sound quite miserable, but it actually is a lot of fun, so please don’t be deterred. The movie actually uses a lot of devices to illustrate how different these two people really are. There’s the overall broken narrative, a high-concept foreign film, some revisionist history, an expectation-versus-reality split screen, and even a laundry list of what Tom loves about Summer/hates about Summer set to the same song. (Sidenote: The song chosen for these lists is a brilliant bit of musical direction).
At first this film may seem like one you’ve already seen. However, it’s the way these devices underscore the hoops we make ourselves jump through for love that turn it into a much more charming movie.
If there’s one thing above all that makes (500) DAYS OF SUMMER special, it’s what it says about those we love after they’ve stopped loving us. There are many ways to carry on, and odds are they’ll never make sense to the other person. The other person’s decision might feel like they’re giving the knife another turn. hard as it is to believe though, most often, they’re just doing what their heart tells them is right. It won’t make sense, it can make us feel like staying in bed for a week, and it might contradict everything they’ve led you to believe. Unfortunately, it’s a part of what comes with being in love. Sucks sometimes, don’t it?
Sweet review. I had a hard time articulating when exactly I liked it, but I'm quite pleased with Marc Webb and am excited to see what else he has in store.
Just saw this film last night and loved it! (its Amanda)
I must confess it might just take the place as my "favorite movie". I am not really a Zooey fan (she has perfected the doe eyed look but not much else), however if you want an Indie-cool movie she's got to be the chick staring in it.
The soundtrack is awesome- Hatter you could have made this mix!
The audience laughed lots, so you're right the movie's premiss sounds depressing but you can't help but laugh as you identify with Tom's "Nancy" to Summer's "Sid".
@ Amanda… Seems like just the other day I ran into on the subway and told you to give the movie a look. Hey wait, that was just the other day! (Ain't I clever?)
@ Blake… Yeah, I kinda had a hard time too, though i eventually had to stop tinkering with it and putting it out there. I agree that Webb has done an amazing job with this flick – hopefully this isn't the last we've heard from him.
It's been on my radar – but it sounds like you've confirmed I will be checking this one out. Thanks, Hats!
@ C… Make it a point to see it, and when you do, make sure to write about it. I'm really curious to know what you think of this flick.
Right there with you on all points. The more I think about it, the more I think that it really is conventional (think of the blues Tom goes through, which is littered with movie cliches), yet in the end, that stuff isn't really making me like it any less.
It wasn't the GREAT movie for me that it seems to have been for Amanda, but I really enjoyed it overall (and especially the soundtrack), and I'm a large JGL fan. Geoffrey Arend, who killed me in SuperTroopers was pretty kickass, too. I'll be ading it to the collection in time.
500 Days of Summer is wisely less concerned about how Tom and Summer get together as it is with their time spent as a couple and the aftermath of their break-up. This separates it from the majority of romantic comedies, which mostly take about ninety minutes getting two people together through the most convoluted situations imaginable. Here we have a film that knows that it’s easy for two young, good looking individuals to start dating each other. Tom and Summer work together. He writes greeting cards, she’s the assistant to his boss. One night the whole office goes out to karaoke, she falls in love with him, watching him perform, the next day they kiss by the copy machines. Boom, bang, done.
Read my full review at http://cfilmc.com/500-days-of-summer/
Really enjoyed reading your review on this movie, which I enjoyed a lot.
I totally forgot to mention the dancing scene in my review, and yes I can also relate to that for a few moments in my life as well. I read in someones review about having the bird in, which was similar to the scene in Enchanted.
Nice review. This was my favorite movie the year it came out. It is just so fresh and VERY underrated.