Love stories have been a staple of film since their beginning. Some are good, some bad and some memorable. But few take an objective look at love seeing both the positive and negative, the fun and the sad. That changes with 500 DAYS OF SUMMER.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Tom Hansen, a wanna be architect now working as a greeting card writer for a small company who finds life for the most part unfulfilling. Early in life, he dreamed of meeting the perfect girl, the right one and discovering true love that would last forever.
Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) is a free spirited young woman who’s just begun working at the same company Tom works at. Summer is the sort who doesn’t believe in true love but in living for the moment.
During a meeting at work, Tom sees Summer for the first time. For Tom, its love at first sight. For Summer, it’s just another day.
The film doesn’t follow a linear path, instead jumping from one day to another, for instance day 3 and then to day 344. What we see is the ups and downs of a romance between two young people. But what we get is a look at love, romance and the search for the perfect match.
In the early days we are privy to the courtship of Summer by Tom, how he finally gets the nerve to ask her out, how he gets to know her and her getting to know him as well. And as with most romances, the two enjoy each other’s company and all of the details that become second nature to them both.
But as time progresses, or in this case moves back and forth, we see the change in their relationship. Gone are the small enjoyments in a look, a laugh, a whisper, replaced with finding these same things that were once treasures now annoyances. And yet, they remain together. Until the fateful day when Summer announces she wants to be friends, those killing words to any hope of being a couple.
Knowing full well what the result of this relationship will be fairly early on in the film (thus knowing now is not actually a spoiler), what you get rather than the usual beginning to end romance is an offbeat style of film that entertains from start to finish. The movie covers all bases that revolve around being in love and losing love. It’s filled with humor and sadness, just like real life.
This movie is about dreams of romance. Not just those of the couple we witness on screen but in the dream of romance that everyone searches for in their lifetime. And while some never find it, others do. While some hope for the one to walk into their lives, others find that special someone over time. And this film captures that in its combination of vignettes that come together to form one thoroughly enjoyable movie.
What is also a joy is watching the actors in this film. Gordon-Levitt gives a remarkable performance showing a depth he’s not had the chance to since he starred in BRICK. Last seen in G.I.JOE as Cobra Commander, he offers a completely different performance here that show his versatility. So much so that after watching I wondered what he would choose to do next?
Deschanel has always stood out as an attractive young woman who opts for characters that are a bit out of the norm. She does so once again in this film, offering a free spirit who isn’t quite as free as she might think. She conveys the charm of a young woman in love who eventually finds herself in a position of hurting someone she cares for.
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