A More Realistic Look Into the Romantic Comedy

Rating: 9/10 (11 July 2016)

We have all been through that familiar path before. Just when we thought we found the guy/girl of our dreams and they connect with each other and have similar shares with each other and hopes that a simple platonic relationship could progressively enhance into something beyond those parameters. And then, after a while the inevitable happens and then one of them breaks up with you and it takes many frustrating leaps and bounds to ask them to take them back only to realize that they were meant to be together. Until finally we come to realize that you might succeed or might fail, but in the end the end, there's always room for hope.
"(500) Days of Summer" tells a very familiar story about Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who works at a greeting card company and Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) his co-worker who seems like a nice couple as they're seated on a bench with her hand on top of his complete with a beautiful ring on her finger.
Before you know it, as the film progresses we discover that Tom and Summer have ended their relationship and Tom has not taken this very well. While battling depression and heartbreak, Tom's friends have tried to offer him support and his lovable sister Rachel (Chloe Grace Moretz) provide reassurance as a way to prevent him from going into deeper depression for fear he might self-destruct.
One of the things that might get fans peeved off about this movie is the fact that it doesn't operate on a formulaic day-to-day chronological events. The narrative is quite non-linear so therefore, scenes will jump over various intervals as the film rolls. Just remember you've been warned. We know that they're co- workers at the greeting card company. They have a few drinks, get wild at a karaoke party and Summer seems to be attracted to his enthusiasm even though she has really no intentions of hooking up with anyone. All the while Tom pretends like he's not interested in her either for the fear of doing something embarrassing or stupid or something he might regret. And who has never done that before?
The triumphs and setbacks in Tom and Summer's relationship is the cornerstone of what the entire movie is about. We know that Summer has been turned off by Tom for some time and the quirky charm that once attracted Summer has fizzled out like a flower in late August. We see Tom looking back the magical time when they first met. But he still can't get over the fact that she never intended their relationship to be anything more than just friends.
The performances were all very good, even though there really isn't any top quality A-list performers, but they're all bright and likable and we truly care about each character. Joseph Gordon-Levitt shows just how versatile he is as a performer and really has come on his own from his early days in misunderstood movies like the "The Juror" to his comedy roots on "Third Rock From the Sun". Zooey Deschanel can always tempt you with her sparkly cuteness while embodying her independence as Summer.
I also though that by making the story non-linear was clever on the part of director Marc Webb which adds a dimension of freshness by preventing this story from becoming wanton. That way we can keep guessing if Tom will ever win back Summer's heart. And while keeping it real, while maintaining the humour fresh, and the overwhelming roller coaster of events might not please everyone but the realism behind it is purely justified. In the unpredictable world we live in they say there is someone for everyone, but we don't know exactly how and were Tom and Summer meant to be together? Even Tom himself doesn't really know.
What really stands out about this movie is the amazing music score by Mychael Danna and Rob Simonsen. It's filled with some wonderful tracks from well established artists like The Smiths, Wolfmother, Rebecca Spektor, Simon and Garfunkel, Hall and Oates among others that are light for a romantic comedy, but the artists are familiar names which is good, because too many romantic comedies have musician we never heard about which makes it very annoying.
Overall, "(500) Days of Summer" was a nice little romantic comedy you could watch and get involved with the characters in it. It wasn't formulaic, sappy and didn't make you want to stab yourself with a fork. And the realism involved towards the theme that love can be unpredictable rings true. It may bring happiness, it may bring heartbreak, but either way this message is saying that even when you're down you must look for ways to get yourself back into the race.