"The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you"

Rating: 9/10 (31 August 2009)

How to reinvent the romantic comedy? Filmmakers either bold or foolish enough to attempt such a seemingly impossible challenge have struggled throughout the ages, floundering over the delicate balance between credibly depicting the trials and tribulations of romance while simultaneously satisfying the cathartic desire for a romanticized, happy Hollywood ending. The key, it would seem, as with prior success Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, lies in the filmmaker's daring to strive beyond obvious emotional satisfaction, even to the point of the protagonists' interactions not ending in a happy ever after. And in this regard, (500) Days of Summer proves a similarly rich and rewarding experience, all the more funny, entertaining and profoundly true through its toying with or outright disregard for the worn to death formula, demonstrating the definitive way to deliver a comedy or drama about romance.
Rather than using the eventual breakup as a surprise tragic twist, director Mark Webb instead eschews formula by simply presenting the relationship between Tom Hansen and Summer Finn, from start to finish, early, awkward flirtations to subsequent, devastating parting, capturing moments which are happy, sad and just plain strange. Which, of course, proves the ideal cocktail, as Webb's film sparkles with life and the sort of inventive genius in editing and cinematography which only a background in music videos could yield. Webb allows his film to mirror the emotional state of the protagonists both visually and tonally, bubbling with spontaneous dance numbers and animated Disney birds to convey Tom's early euphoria, later fuming with moody artistic scribbles, parallelling the trauma and existential grief of a break up, and eventually the quiet, reflective calm which comes with moving on.
It is a remarkable feat to travel such an emotional roller-coaster without feeling swept away in maudlin, excessive sentiment, but Webb's film, despite its inevitable forays into magic realism and storytelling coincidence, feels all the more crushing credible and honest because of its overtly cinematic touches rather than in spite of them. Even more helpful is the wry, irreverent sense of humour peppering the film throughout, with sly touches such as the sardonic narrator and fleeting, winking breaches of the fourth wall seeming to assure viewers throughout, preventing the emotional extremes from ever becoming excessively dour, or descending into mawkish indie cuteness. Completing the delightful package is Webb's sublime collection of soundtrack choices, serving to effortlessly fill in the emotional gaps when words or actions simply cannot capture the sheer essence of the situation.
Of course, despite the cinematic mastery on display, proper casting is essential for a successful relationship film, and in this respect, Webb achieves another triumph. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is flat out remarkable as unabashed romantic and optimist Tom, perfectly carrying the film with unshowy charisma, and an achingly credible emotional resonance, whether thrilled or crushed. However, Tom is not a romanticized hero, and Gordon-Levitt is just as game demonstrating his self-destructive wallowing, creating a more balanced and believable piece of characterization. Equally impressive is Zooey Deschanel as the titular Summer. Just as careful to humanize a potential spite-worthy caricature, Deschanel instead harnesses her trademark luminous quirkiness into something far more real, harder to outright love but impossible not to empathize with. Providing welcome support to the lead couple's flawless chemistry, Geoffrey Arend and Matthew Gray Gubler deliver welcome laughs as Tom's hapless best friends, and character actor Clark Gregg steals many a scene as an overly sentimental greeting card company editor.
Delightful, charming, traumatic and eventually hopeful, (500) Days of Summer proves the rare 'romantic comedy' (to use the term extremely loosely) or drama which is just as likely to appeal to unhappy singles as happy couples. Offering a slice of rare realism, all the more credible through its fantastic and cinematic trappings, Webb's film is a rare marvel which should not be missed, if only for the sake of redeeming a genre bogged down in painful cliché and falsities.
-9/10