REVIEW: "500 DAYS OF SUMMER"

The review of "500 Days Of Summer" is brought to you by my lovely Robin who is my consistent and lovable movie companion! Here is her review of the movie we saw last night.

This quirky little film has been promoted as a “Romantic Comedy”, but ends up being much more than that. It manages to pretty much cover the full spectrum of human emotion without feeling clichéd or heavy-handed. And while the story isn’t that unusual or original, neither is it the standard Hollywood relationship story.

Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a likable guy who writes greeting cards for a living, even as he yearns to be an architect. And unlike George Costanza, he actually has a passion for architecture. He’s also a hopeless romantic who falls for a co-worker named Summer (Zooey Deschanel). They seem to be a good match in many respects, save one. She is a confirmed bachelorette who doesn’t believe in love, romance, or commitment. While she doesn’t try to hide her views, Tom can’t help but be smitten. And, as we are warned in the beginning, there isn’t going to be a happy ending.

Both lead actors deliver solid performances. Anyone who’s seen Deschanel in previous films knows that she often plays independent, slightly oddball characters. In this case, she fits that character perfectly. Gordon-Levitt also is quite effective in getting the audience to sympathize with his angst. As demonstrated in recent films “The Lookout” and “Brick”, he has become quite a talented actor.

Yet, I believe the most credit goes to first-time director Marc Webb for his innovative style here. There are many delightful surprises in store for the viewer as Webb constantly jumps back and forth to different moments in Tom and Summer’s relationship. We get treated to unexpected song, a clever split-screen view that contrasts Tom’s expectations with his reality, and references to La Dolce Vita and The Graduate to name a few. The result is sometimes sweet, occasionally sad, frequently comic, but always fresh and compelling.

ROBIN