A special kind of romantic-comedy

Rating: 9/10 (19 June 2010)

With (500) Days of Summer, first time director Marc Webb makes a film for a new generation. Channeling an honesty and charm, to define (500) Days of Summer as a romantic-comedy feels like an injustice. At the very least, it proves that not all romantic-comedies are created equal.
(500) Days of Summer chronicles the full relationship of Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel). Tom, a trained architect, works at a greeting card company in Los Angeles. He is a hopeless romantic raised on The Graduate with the belief that he is destined to meet his perfect girl and future wife. Summer arrives to the office as the new assistant of Tom's boss. She is a free spirit without a true belief in romantic love. Tom immediately falls for Summer. The rest of the film tells their story from start to finish, covering all of the ups and downs that occur in their relationship.
The film uses a non-linear style to tell its story, hopping from each important day of the relationship, often juxtaposing the feelings of a young relationship with those of a dying one. From the first time this is employed I fully expected to hate this style. Following Pulp Fiction, this non-linear style of storytelling could be seen left and right. While Pulp Fiction is able to use this style quite effectively, crafting a film that cannot be imagined in any other way, other films felt more kitsch than functional in their attempts to make something "edgy". Imagine my surprise when I found myself fully enjoying the way the technique is used in (500) Days of Summer. At no point is the style distracting, rather it feels necessary. The film is a chance for Tom to consider his relationship with Summer, and we feel more as voyeurs to his experience. When reminiscing on a past relationship, you do not revisit linearly and in this way, it makes sense for the film to hop from moment to moment.
The success of the film derives from its honesty. In a time where Hollywood is spewing out fantastical ideas of the modern romance with films like Twilight and Dear John, (500) Days of Summer is a breath of fresh air. The writers, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, put together scenes that are so authentic that it makes you wonder why they aren't put on screen more often. The relationship starts awkwardly, with Tom expressing a curious shyness and fear of destruction that accompanies those first conversations with a new love. The degradation of the relationship never feels forced or sudden; rather Summer drifts from Tom organically making Tom's ultimate heartbreak all the more realistic.
The film does however, still prescribe to some romantic-comedy clichés. Summer at times, comes across as your typical "manic pixie dream girl", with such a desire to simply remain "free" that often lacks believability. Tom's quirky friend McKenzie (Geoffrey Arend) and his best friend Paul (Matthew Gray Gubler) feel incomplete as characters and seem to exist simply to allow Tom to communicate his feelings vocally. However, the character of Rachel (Chloë Moretz), Tom's sassy and wise beyond her years little sister, manages to overcome her cliché and remain rooted in the real, something that should be attributed to the chemistry between Gordon-Levitt and Moretz.
The film deserves credit for reveling in its indie quirkiness. With a "voice of God" narration by Richard McGonagle, that gives the film an occasional fairytale quality, there is a freshness that doesn't go unnoticed. At the very least, the film deserves credit for being the first on screen presence of the oft played by adolescents "penis game", and the admission that on their best day, every guy can feel like Han Solo. It does rest on the occasional cliché, but (500) Days of Summer succeeds in being an honest romantic-comedy for a new generation.