(500) Days of Summer
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel
Grade: B
In a Summer filled with loud explosions and disappointing popcorn films, its nice to see a creative rom-com come away and lift you off of your feet. The two leads share plenty of chemistry, and have small quirks that come across as real instead of written in. The beginning of the film warns us, this isn't a love story. We follow 500 days in a relationship with highs and lows, good days and bad, whimsical dance numbers, and heartbreak.
Godon-Levitt plays Tom, a greeting card writer who is an architect at heart, he works in an office where its likely to go out with your co-workers and sing embarrassing karaoke once a week. He has two friends, who could have been funnier, but are serviceable enough in the film. One day he meets Summer, a classy, unique, and beautiful girl that Tom knows is the one. Summer is played by Zooey Deschanel, a woman waiting to break out, and this film will only help her cause. Summer doesn't believe in love, fate, or any of the hopeless romantic musings of Tom.
The film adds an original gimmick from the start, it jumps skips through the days of there relationship in non-sequential order, hence the title. Picture "21 Grams" as a romantic comedy, and (500) Days of Summer is what you get. The gimmick works in the films favor, it has the audience consistently on its toes wondering how the couple will pan out in the end.
Director Marc Webb has crafted a fine film, but 500 Days would rather settle for cute and charming rather than smart and organic. It's been labeled as a light-hearted "Eternal Sunshine," or a new age Annie Hall. 500 Days is none of those in the end, as it kindly overstays its welcome. I was never bored, but I wanted more.
No comments:
Post a Comment