A larger dose of realism with your everyday "chick flick".

Rating: 9/10 (15 March 2010)

8.5
"It's these cards and the movies and the pop songs, they're to blame for all lies and the heartache, everything." There are many love stories and so called "chick flicks" out there. There are just as many romance novels and soap operas. One thing in common with all these works is that, the common theme, love, is discovered, lost, and then regained, usually with the same person, or "the right person". This is essential to story telling, given that it is all fictional work, used for self reflection. Audiences will feel some form of regret spending their time and investing their emotions into the film, or whatever it may be, if the ending falls short and the protagonist (or group of them) do not triumph in the end. In this genre, the villain is loneliness, or lack of love.
(500) Days of Summer is not too different from the other works in its genre. However, it tries to be, and does succeed in doing so. The film constantly brings up, like the aforementioned quote, that these films or whatever it may be paint a pretty picture of the real experience of love and relationships. Usually, you expect for there to be a good ending, where the protagonist, like a child, is comforted. There is nothing wrong with expecting a positive conclusion in life. However, a relationship involving young people usually does not last a lifetime. And the realistic conclusion, is that one should not expect everything to return to their former ways, but one should accept the changes and gather experience from it. There is a scene in the film where the expectations of the young man and the reality of the situation is contrasted side by side. It is basically the context of the entire film. It knows its role as a film about love, and tries to offer you more realism.
This is director Marc Webb's first full length film. I didn't know this, and wouldn't have guessed it while watching the film. He is definitely one to keep an eye on, as he displays some talent in (500) Days of Summer. The story is told from the perspective of the man. Though the film jumps back and forth through time very often and too quickly for my taste, it still manages to maintain the right energy between the jumps, and you can always tell a huge difference between the different time periods in the life of the relationship. Just as the graphic preceding the time jumps show the concept of seasons, with a tree blooming and its leaves shrinking and losing color, you can just as well tell the difference in the environments, faces and emotions of the actors (mainly the protagonist). Light narration is needed, as everyone does their job in telling the story. I wouldn't say that the film is near-perfect in any sense of the term in its ability to output the emotions of the characters, but it is in no way mediocre either.
It's true, there are many clichés in (500) Days of Summer. Most of the plot, and the events and characters in it you've probably all ready seen before, especially if you're fond of the genre. However, chances are there's a reason why you keep coming back to the genre, and I am happy to announce that (500) Days of Summer offers a fresh enough perspective on it that you will enjoy. The movie tries to be different. It tries to offer you a larger dose of reality to go with your "chick flick", "love story" fix. And it manages to do so, with style, too. It's also worth mentioning, like the movie does, that this is a modern film. The characters belong in contemporary settings. Ultimately, I'd recommend this film first of all if you're looking to find new and promising directors. But to summarize the film, I will quote it itself, when it said, "This is not a love story. It is a story about love."