Oscillates between original poignancy and trite sentimentality

Rating: 6/10 (18 August 2010)

Intentionally or not, the makers (500) Days of Summer – why do we need those parentheses? – were trying to make an updated Annie Hall. Interestingly, though, the male lead in Annie Hall suffers from the neuroticism of children who grew up during World War II, whereas Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) suffers from romantic delusions and expectations of children raised on Disney movies and romantic comedies (specifically, Tom misinterpreted The Graduate as a child). Annie Hall isn't the only film 500 Days of Summer brings to mind. Zooey Deschanel plays the Summer Finn, who seems like a watered-down version of Kate Winslet's character in Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind – her hair color isn't turning any heads, but she still gets her kicks from sweetly screaming dirty words in public parks. The two films also go back in forth between post-break up misery and pre-break up joy. There's even a little bit of Little Miss Sunshine, with Chloe Moretz as Tom's sassy but wise little sister.
(500) Days of Summer, in trying to be as original as the three films mentioned, ends up oscillating between insightful observations and self-conscious sentimentality. The film tells the rarely told story of a relationship in which the girl cannot bring herself to love the likable boy as much as he loves her. It happens often enough in real life, as romantic desperation leads members of both genders to see love in themselves and in others where it just doesn't exist. It's too bad that the poignant core of the film is clouded indie-film tropes. Take for instance that Gordon-Levitt works in a greeting card company, even though he dreams of becoming an architect. Of course, any character that isn't pursuing his dream job is in dire need of a wake-up call. Telling an indie film crowd this is like telling doctors that medicine is the noblest profession. Deschanel's character would be wholly unoriginal if Deschenal wasn't herself an interesting actress. She's strikingly pretty. She's independent but feminine. She'd be the dream girl if she didn't give off the vibe of someone who's careless with other people's emotions. It's hard not to like and even envy her, whereas I didn't care for Gordon-Levitt's character. He's supposed to be the relatable romantic, but I thought he was too self-absorbed and whiny to cheer for. Moments meant to show his charm reeked of "Ain't I cute?" The screenwriters based the film on true events, which adds a sense of realism to some of the scenes, but also a sense of self-glorification to the film and to Gordon-Levitt's character in particular. (500) Days of Summer is entertaining and relatable, but it annoyed me more than it blew me away.