500 DAYS OF SUMMER

“500 DAYS OF SUMMER” (Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Zooey Deschanel)

I defy anyone to watch this film & not like it – If you don’t, I either feel sorry for you, or am envious that you’ve never experienced what Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Tom goes thru after meeting the girl of his dreams (Zooey Deschanel’s ‘Summer’)
This is a very realistic romantic comedy that never falls into ‘chick flick’ realm. & the reason it succeeds is Gordon-Levitt; I’m going to say it, though I’m sure I’ll be castigated for doing so, but he deserves an Oscar nomination for his work in this non-Oscar type of movie. I’ve always liked Zooey, & she’s fine here – though I’m beginning to wonder how much range the little cutie has, other than those gorgeous blue eyes – but Joseph, outstanding in “The Look Out” & “Stop Loss” delivers an almost perfect performance – Why should it matter that it’s in a relatively light-hearted comedy?
He sold me, as many actors often do, without saying a word – Tom’s reaction to Summer placing her hand upon his near the end of the film is priceless. Being one who has ‘been there, done that’, I knew exactly what he was feeling & the reaction was executed to perfection – Give the guy a nomination & what the hell, since the Academy has screwed up the ceremony this year by allotting 10 best picture nominees, give the movie a nod as well – it is one of the best of its kind ever made.
Although ‘500 Days Of Summer’ is basically the story of Tom’s roller coaster love affair with Summer, the film adds several nice touches to elevate it above the norm.
It all starts on day 1, when Zooey’s Summer gets a job at the greeting card company where Tom works as a writer (The ‘Roses Are Red...’ card he writes while going thru a depressing time during their relationship is a guaranteed laugh out loud moment)
Normally, I would wince at the thought of the lead actor prancing down the street lip syncing to a Hall & Oates song, but by the time that scene pops up - you are so behind Tom & his quest for love, the ‘fantasy’ dance sequence actually becomes a highlight. It didn’t hurt that they used one of only a couple of H&O songs that I like (“You Make My Dreams”)
It was perfect – as is this film, I don’t think it ever hits a sour note – the relationship depicted here is as real as they get & that’s the attraction – If you can’t relate to this couple & find everything they do believable, you’re living on a different planet than I am.
Director Marc Webb uses the old bouncing back & forth in time routine, which I usually dislike, but it works here – Aided by the fact that they tell which of the 500 days they’re about to show you. Tom enters an elevator all smiles on day 149 – We are told that we are now skipping ahead to day 373 & the elevator doors open to show Tom in complete misery. Yeah, that’s what trying to make a relationship work will do to you. The problem Summer has with Tom is that she knows he absolutely adores her & you can sense that bothers her since she’ll never be able to live up to his expectations. Yet, at the same time, she obviously loves him as well – just not as much as he loves her.
Tom’s two best buddies add to the enjoyment providing lousy advice & less than sturdy shoulders to lean on. & once again, a great song selection is used to enhance a film – this one, however is a surprise as it’s a Nancy Sinatra song called “Sugar Town”. Zooey sings it at a company karaoke outing & I found myself bobbing my head to the breezy little melody. The lone low point in this film is with whatever song it is that Tom croaks out – I’m sure everyone under 40 will be laughing that I have no idea what the name of the song is or who ‘sings’ it, but it does help explain why I don’t listen to ‘new’ music anymore. Fortunately they don’t show him singing the entire number.
So now I have a rarity in my list of 5 favorite movies of the year – a romantic comedy sits at #4 (Behind ‘The Hangover” “Star Trek” & “Sunshine Cleaning”; just ahead of “State Of Play”)
A realistic romantic comedy – what will they think of next? Coming off the heels of having to sit thru garbage like ‘The Proposal’, this film was a refreshing breath of fresh air. & I also dare you not to leave the cinema with a smile on your face after viewing the final scene; the line, & the look are like everything else in this movie – perfect.