(500) Days of Summer

I can't recommend this movie enough. Not only is director Marc Webb's style evocative of his music video roots (This is in no way a negative seeing as how music videos manage to efficiently convey an entire dramatic arc in 4 minutes while taking liberties with narrative structure, visual cues, and dream-like imagery. If you doubt the ability of music video directors who transition to feature-length films, take up that particular argument with Mr. Spike Jonze), the surprisingly insightful script by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber tarantinos it (for those who are not members of the conoscenti, this means the flick is told in a non-linear format) and explores one of the least touched upon subjects in Hollywood: What happens after our hero gets the girl?

Think about it. What do you think happened after Lloyd Dobbler and Diane Court got off their plane in England? How long do you think Jesse and Celine stayed together after they stopped being idealized images of themselves nourished by 10 years of consistent disappointment with every day life and they started snoring and leaving hairs in the sink? Hell, if Trinity hadn't died, how long could she have put up with Neo's vacant stare? The point is that in real life the story BEGINS when a relationship starts. We have a 50%+ divorce rate in this country and that's not even mentioning the hell one can go through to even get to the point where they want to marry somebody. The movie boasts a perfect tag line: "This is not a love story, but it is a story about love." A story about love and the myths an we are socialized on since we are able to take in sensory input, as well as the realities that come along with the experience.

I recently told a friend of mine that she had made it her life's mission to be in love, thinking that once she had obtained the status of what qualified as being loved in her life, all of her problems would be solved. This is a film for her and others like her. Love is not the end-all problem solver or the quick fix. It doesn't come with some sort of operational definition to make it tangible. However, love IS what makes life worth living and it is so incredibly precious because it's finite. Like a rose, it's beauty comes from the certainty that its stay on this earth is a passing thing. Even if you get the girl and manage to stay together, death will do you part. The key is not to fixate on maintaining a status that is unmaintainable. Enjoy it while you have it because it enriches every aspect of your life. Even in heartbreak, hope can be found and your life can improve. That is what this movie does so well. It shows how out of this world those moments of love can be, turning us all into bad ass Han Solo versions of ourselves (the musical dance number is one of the most indulgent odes to Hollywood of all time; and it's damn good too.). In dissecting the protagonists' relationship, (500) Days of Summer shows us how love can end for no reason at all. There doesn't have to be a big blow up fight or dramatic deus-ex-machina to steal our joy from us. Sometimes love just ends. And we deal with it. We survive. We move on. Or not.

This movie is a sum of its parts, from the aforementioned director and writers to the Smiths and Regina Spektor laden soundtrack. However, history might show that the real contribution of (500) Days of Summer is the beginning of the Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Zooey Deschanel partnership. These two friends might not be lovers in real life, but they are damn good at playing a couple on screen (prepare for comparisons to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, even Rock Hudson and Doris Day). I've grown up seeing JGL evolve as an actor. He's gone on from roles in Angels in the Outfield and 3rd Rock from the Sun to become, in my opinion, one of THE actors of our generation with outstanding performances in Brick, The Lookout, Stop-Loss, Mysterious Skin, and Havoc. I wouldn't have believed you if you told me that my favorite of his recent performances would be Tom, the relatively "normal" romantic lead he pulls of in (500) Days of Summer. He reminds me of Heath Ledger, not only for his chameleon-like ability to inhabit a variety of roles, but because I swear he kinda looks like him too.

Zooey, his complement, stole my heart way back when with her performance in Almost Famous, where she was hot, stewardess hot. I am a card carrying member of the pop-culture obsessed geek nation that has hailed her as "our" version of the girl next door ever since we found out that not only can she act, but she sings, writes songs, makes homemade jam, rides bikes, etc. with an air of quirky cool and an Demetri Martin sense of humor. Aside from all that, she is a very talented actress whose range is finally shown after a disastrous turn as an M. Night Shyamalan leading lady. As Summer, she embodies the "Summer effect," a trait possessed by every damaged attractive girl that we've worshiped at one time or another. We pay for the sins of those who came before only to "fix" her for the guy who will inevitably come after.

The performances given by these two are really unfair to the also valuable work turned in by a solid supporting cast. Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel have a palpable chemistry, which one can almost taste as the highlights of their relationship are shown on screen. We've all done the Walmart date, but the movie takes it to a whole new level with their trips to Ikea. This chemistry also makes their impending break up all the more crushing. The parallels are truly affecting, perhaps even more so as we get a split-screen scene of Tom's aspirations juxtaposed with the reality of his situation. If my review could make you go watch this movie, I would write 10x's as much as I already have. GO! SALLY FORTH! Show your support for quality films and enjoy this touching piece of cinema.

As a parting gift, I leave you this funky cool little compliment to the movie brought to us by JGL, Zooey, and Marc Webb. Did I mention that this movie benefited from one of the most inspired, almost viral, promotional campaigns of all time?