Refreshingly different but hit and miss

Rating: 8/10 (15 October 2009)

I liked this film a lot. The premise of boy meets girl, boy loves girl but girl doesn't love boy appealed to me.
There were several things about the film I liked. I'm not a huge fan of Zooey Deschanel, but her quirky and slightly sad portrayal of the commitment phobic, cynical Summer was great. This was a great contrast to the usual heroine in a romantic comedy, beautiful but a bit desperate for love and ending up in a huge stereotype of a relationship. Its refreshing for someone who is also sceptical of romance and true love (despite being in a good long term relationship), some people just aren't romantic like that, and don't feel a need to "put a label on the relationship". However, the end of the film drastically let me down. From having her own unique and slightly sad/cynical view on love, suddenly she makes a complete u-turn and gets married without any explanation. What is this for? Are we supposed to take away the exact opposite message to the one we have been given all the way through, that true love does exist and life really is a big stereotype?
That said, there are many clever techniques at work, split scene cameras which are pretty effective, some animated or black and white scenes etc. I wasn't impressed by the jumping back and forward in time, but I can see where they are coming from with creating an overall picture. Also, the soundtrack (a lot of Regina Spektor, who at her best is melancholy perfection) is very good. Alternative and effective at creating the right mood.
There are some cheesy aspects: the character "Autumn" who he meets at the end, being symbolism at its most intelligence insulting. I hate the u-turn in Summer's character/beliefs and I think the ending could have been a lot better/different. That said it has its own kind of beauty and is a good change from the usual Hollywood romantic fodder.