Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
He Loves Me, She Loves Me Not, July 22, 2009
"(500) Days of Summer" is a wonderfully refreshing experience, a romantic comedy that doesn't follow the rules of a romantic comedy. It's inventive, intelligent, and engaging, a story of the dualities a young man lives with on a daily basis. On the one hand, there's the duality between falling in love and believing that love doesn't exist; Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) grew up believing in fate bringing soul mates together whereas Summer (Zooey Deschanel) grew up not believing in much of anything, least of all lasting relationships. On the other hand, there's the duality between what one would like to happen and what actually does happen; we often go through life with expectations, even though we know deep down that most will never be met. Tom is in a tug-of-war between his romantic fantasies and the reality that Summer doesn't believe in true love.
Levitt's performance is a revelation. He plays Tom with sincerity. Tom is approachable and good natured, highly confident yet not so above-it-all that he can't be desperate and miserable at times. He writes greeting cards for a living but has always dreamed of becoming an architect, and he often finds inspiration from the Los Angeles skyscrapers that surround him. His story unfolds in much the same way a memory does, with fragments that pop up all out of sequence until the reality of those 500 days become clear. Some may be confused by this, but keep in mind that memory and chronological order never go hand in hand. This is especially true when reflecting on a relationship. Tom continuously thinks back trying to make sense of it all, only to end up considering the possibility that Summer was right all along.
Deschanel, who seemed so awkward in films like "Yes Man" and "The Happening," here is perfectly cast. Summer is charming, fun, and sweet, but she's also mysterious, distant, and casual about life. She dates Tom and even makes love to him, yet she will never see him as anything more than a friend. She's with him not because she's in love--she's just having fun while living in the moment. It's about all she can do given the fact that she can't love anything, save for the length of her hair and the fact that she can cut it off without feeling anything. There are a few select moments, however, when she connects with Tom at a more personal level, inviting him into her artsy apartment and eventually opening up about past experiences. This makes Tom feel appreciated, as he believes, perhaps correctly, that she doesn't go this far with too many people.
By the end of the film, Tom feels like someone we've gotten to know. Summer, on the other hand, remains enigmatic, underscoring the uncertainty engrained in any kind of relationship. There are times when Tom thinks he has her figured out. There are other times when it seems as if they've never even met. Loving relationships are based on compromises, and while Tom would be willing to make a few, Summer most definitely would not. She does what she wants when she wants it. This is admirable, but when matters of the heart are involved, the line does need to be drawn somewhere.
Tom's emotional roller coaster ride occasionally gets the visual treatment. In one scene, he becomes the star of a musical number featuring dancers and a cartoon bluebird. In another scene, he imagines himself as characters in black and white European art house films by Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini. The single most creative shot has him standing in the middle of the street while the buildings transform into an architectural sketch, much like the one he drew on Summer's arm. Director Marc Webb treats these scenes not as showcases of special effects but as special moments of heightened reality, which is fitting given the battle waged between what Tom desires and what he actually gets. The most obvious interpretation of this theme is a split-screen image late in the film, one side marked "Expectations," the other side marked "Reality."
These extra touches make this movie enjoyable, but its Gordon and Deschanel that make it a joy to watch. They have chemistry. You believe in them as actual people and not merely as characters. They show just how talented they are as actors, although credit must also be given to Webb's direction and the screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. They breathe life into "(500) Days of Summer," a film we're told right off the bat is not a love story. Nor should it be; we've seen love stories before, and while they more or less work as entertaining distractions, rarely do they provide insight or even traces of plausibility. This movie is more ambitious than that. It aims to tell a story without resorting to cheap gimmicks like cliché dialogue or contrived plotlines. The end result is a story that's often funny, often thoughtful, and always compelling.
|
|
|
22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
500 Days of Summer, April 25, 2009
The film's opening makes it clear: This is not a love story. It is a story about love. Told in a non chronological fashion, we see 500 days in the relationship of Tom (Joseph Gordon- Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel). For those who have seen 10 Things I Hate About You, this is an evolution of that story told in a more realistic fashion. While Joseph Gordon-Levitt pretty much plays the same character, he adds gravitas to the ups and downs of relationships which all men go through at some point. Zooey Deschanel brings her playful carefree attitude to Summer, which the movie itself is quick to point out has a very strong effect over men. While most people expect this to be a love story, it's not. It's a carefully crafted story about relationships and the highs and lows we all experience and how we focus on the highs more than the lows. The quirky humor and the wittiness brought out in the film covers the very introspective dissection of a relationship. While the ending is somewhat expected, it serves as the movies last laugh. A must see for romantics, indie film appreciators and mainstream audiences alike, this movie is the guide to growing up all boys need to become men. Especially, once they see the Plate scene. Check it out!
|
|
|
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Smart, Funny and Very Original, August 1, 2009
Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) falls head over heels for Summer Finch (Zooey Deschauel) the new girl working at his office. The story of their relationship is told in non-chronological order, including a few highly original scenes such as Tom turning the streets of LA into a chorus line following his first night with Summer. You know from the start that Tom and Summer are bound to split up. But the movie comes together nicely in the end, showing that when one story ends another is bound to begin.
One thing I really like about this movie is that's it's the guy who is the hopeless romantic and the girl who remains emotionally distant. This contrast with the usual male-female stereotypes is refreshing and something I experienced myself when I was a young man. The movie is also quite nuanced and contains numerous references to classic literature, classic films and classic rock. In other words, it's way smarter than the usual Hollywood romantic comedy. It's also more funny and had me laughing out loud on several occassions. I do have to admit that the non-chronological sequencing of the 500 days left me dizzy at times and how much you like this movie will depend, to some extent, on how much you can identify with the main characters. But this is a well made movie and one worthy of seeing.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Video On Demand ~ Sandra Bullock
Video On Demand ~ Brad Pitt
Video On Demand ~ Sharlto Copley
Video On Demand ~ Henry Goodman
Video On Demand ~ John Krasinski
Video On Demand ~ Adam Sandler
