REVIEW: '500 Days of Summer' FIVE STARS
500 Days of Summer
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 95 minutes
Starring: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
My rating: 5 stars
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There isn't another actress who could play Summer and make 500 Days of Summer hands down the best movie of the year like Zooey Deschanel.
She's that good.
The film starts with a narration describing how Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is alone, sad, depressed and desperately needing to find love. The narrator whimsically describes his first encounter with Summer (Deschanel) as “a meeting of fate... but you should know up front, this is not a love story.”
Through Marc Webb's direction and Scott Neustadter and Michael Webb's remarkable storytelling, the audience ignores the narrators opening remarks, believing instead that Tom and Summer will survive. Credit the chemistry between Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt for taking the words off the page and making the audience feel them.
But, again, this is not a love story. This is a story about a relationship – it could be any relationship – but this is that relationship with “the one.” It is a story about life, real life, and two people who love each other.
Tom and Summer's story is told in fairytale-like from because it's emotionally easier to handle that way. If it wasn't done like that, we would all leave the theater completely drained. In fact, you still do. I left saying, “This is the best movie I've seen in years.”
500 Days of Summer is told from Tom's point of view — his memory of the failed relationship. It bounces from day 488 to day 1 to day 260 to day 21 and so on in a seemingly random order. We get glimpses into the 500-day time Tom knows Summer. The scenes are each introduced by a hand-drawn picture of a tree standing alone and sky surrounding it. In the sky we see in parenthesis the numbered day. Our only clue to know if it's a good day or a bad day is in the tree, which grows leaves, sheds them, turns them red, and, when it's the darkest of days, is charred and bare. It's a wonderful Pavlovian mechanism to train the audience.
There is such nuance in the direction and symbolism throughout the film that it gives 500 Days of Summer an astounding depth. From car rides into darkened tunnels to Tom walking out of a dark room to a sun soaked outside, the scenes invade our subconscious and infect our heart.
Really, though, this film is a showcase for Deschanel. The role requires a subtle innocence few actresses can pull off. She needs to make us love her immediately just from a smile, still love her when we're mad at her and forgive her when she delivers heart-wrenching blows. Deshanel succeeds in the best performance of her career.
500 Days of Summer is a modern version of the Oscar-nominated Annie Hall. I suspect a few nominations from this, especially since the Oscars have expanded its nominations. It's real, honest, insightful and very funny. “Love,” says Tom. “I don't know what love is.” Do any of us?
Love is messy. Love means work. Love means the excitement of potential. Love means devastation. All of it is in 500 Days of Summer. 5 Stars.
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Note: It's only playing in Syracuse. It's worth the drive. I put it off for weeks because it wasn't local. I debated writing a review and even though going in that I wouldn't write one. Within 10 seconds I knew this movie was going to be great because this text displayed on screen:
Author's Note: The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you Jenny Beckman. Bitch.
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