Film Review: (500) Days of Summer

Everyone has had that person who they loved more than they were loved back. Who they idolised and worshipped and thought was ‘the one’. And then the bastard dumped them.

The success of Marc Webb’s debut feature “(500) Days of Summer” is its ability to tap into this painful collective experience. At its most effective, the film evokes that moment of heartbreak exactly as it should: like a sharp slap in the face. Conversely, it contains some beautifully captured moments of burgeoning human connection and that dizzying joy of infatuation that comes with falling in love.

The film follows Tom (Joseph Gorden-Levitt) a wannabe architect slumming it writing captions for a greeting card company. One day Summer (Zooey Deschanel) arrives in the office. She is gorgeous, wears vintage clothes and likes The Smiths. Tom falls in love with her and they begin a casual relationship. From the beginning Summer tells Tom she is up for nothing serious, but his life nonetheless falls apart when she dumps him.

The film is non-linear in structure, jumping back and forth to different points in their relationship. It is testimony to the skill and easy precision of Levitt and Deschanel that the audience is never lost in the timeline of their relationship- we always know exactly what their characters are feeling both personally and for each other. Anyone who has seen Levitt in recent roles (“Mysterious Skin” and “The Lookout” in particular) will know the commanding dramatic actor he has become. As a leading man he is charismatic and likeable, bringing particular emotional gravitas to the film’s final scenes.

Deschanel has always projected an otherworldly quality that makes her the ideal choice for the girl that you want but can never have. As she stares at Tom with her gloriously oversized eyes, the audience’s infatuation grows in tandem with his.

Director Webb and screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber have fashioned a film brimming with inventive techniques. The big surprise is that they actually function beyond cute distractions. A split screen sequence towards the end of the film, which contrasts Tom desired outcome versus reality, rather poignantly illustrates our delusions and overblown expectations with respect to the objects of our affection. And a sepia sequence on a train conveys that magic of personal connection in just a few shimmering moments, better than most romantic comedies manage in ninety minutes. 

It is because of this rather lovely freshness (if this film had a smell it would be pineapple-ey), that the occasional reliance on stale cinematic devices really sticks out – the precocious tween sister who gives relationship advice, for example.

However, these are small imperfections in a film whose delightful ingenuity, stinging observations and appealing stars creates a viewing experience that is its very own kind of bittersweet joy.

Directed by: Marc Webb

Written by: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber

Starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gorden-Levitt

Image credits 1, 2 & 3