Movie Review: “(500) Days of Summer”

As the date gets closer to the 82^nd Academy Awards (which is on March 7^th), I can’t help, but be slightly disappointed on how many terrific films got shafted and while some others surprisingly got nominations. Some films that come in mind that didn’t get any nominations were Duncan Jones’ Moon, Sam Mendes’ Away We Go, and Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are. However, the biggest snub for getting a nomination was one of my personal top films of 2009, which was Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer.

(500) Days of Summer is a non-linear romantic comedy about a man named Tom Hansen (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who falls in love with a woman who just started at his workplace named Summer Finn (played by Zooey Deschanel). Tom is an aspiring building architect, but it seems that he is too scared to pursue his life dream and took the easy route by working for a greeting card company. Before long Tom is smitten. All he can think about day and night is Summer. Tom believes deeply in the concept of soul mates, and that he’s finally found his. However Summer believes the opposite and sees true love as fairy tales, and isn’t looking for true romance. Undaunted and undeterred by Summer’s casual stance on relationships, Tom summons all of his might and courage to pursue Summer and convince her that their love is real.

What makes this film so enjoyable to watch is that it is very unconventional in terms of story and the direction. Marc Webb is able to create something different compared to other recent romantic comedies that simply rehash the same plot points over and over again. An example of this unconventional idea is during one of the scenes, we witness on half the screen his expectations of what will happen and on the other half is the reality of the situation (I would like to go into more detail, but trying to keep this spoiler-free). Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel both play their roles fantastically and you can feel the chemistry on screen.

I also like how Marc Webb uses the color blue to symbolize Summer, it truly does give it a certain depth to the film. The dance sequence is a prime example of how the color blue is used to symbolize Summer and what Tom’s emotions are about the night before. Another positive aspect of (500) Days of Summer is the soundtrack. Unlike some films, the soundtrack for this film actually contributes and captures the essence on the screen. One of the small things that bugged me about (500 Days of Summer) was that it felt like it was holding back so it could receive a PG-13 rating. I feel some scenes could have been R-rated, and could of further push what the film was trying to present, thus making it more enjoyable.

Overall, this film is definitely worth checking out if you have the time. Just because it didn’t get any nominations, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s mediocre or over-hyped. I’m definitely interested in the future of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, and most particularly Marc Webb. Webb’s next project is going to be the new installment of Spider-Man, considering it’s a whole different process than doing a small independent film it should be interesting to see how he approaches it.

- Dan Dreher

Tags: (500) Days of Summer, Dan Dreher, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marc Webb, Movie Review, Zooey Deschanel