(500) Days of Summer - Review

This is a call-Sam-Gooley-after-it's-over (CSGAIO) movie, and by CSGAIO, I mean it's really stinkin' good. Like classic romantic comedy good. And if you want to know why - well, read along with me...

First off, (500) Days of Summer is a fresh new take on romantic comedies. By experimenting with new ways of filmmaking and storytelling, (500) Days doesn't fit the cookie-cutter image of your run-of-the-mill, "starring Kate Hudson" romantic comedy. Here are 3 reasons why:

1. It starts with the cast. Does anyone remember Joseph Gordon Lovett as anyone except the kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun? Even when I saw 10 Things I Hate About You, I thought, "Dude, that's the kid from 3rd Rock, ain't it?" And Zooey Deschanel, does anyone remember her as anyone othern than William Miller's sister in Almost Famous, or as an elf lover in ... well ... Elf? Because these actors aren't superstars, I believe the audience will watch the movie without any pre-conceived notions of how they're supposed to act; thus putting more faith in the story itself and the characters within it.

(If anyone even thinks about Failure to Launch during any part of this review, I will somehow find out; and I will laugh at you. Has anyone seen that episode of Family Guy when Peter talks about sitting through that movie? If not, watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BtFScDdki0 Classic. It's all I think about whenever anyone mentions that God-awful movie.)

2. It "Tarantino's" the plot. Much like the the work of Inglourious Basterds director Quentin Tarantino, (500) Days jumps around in time so that we don't get bored with the same plotlines of every relationship movie ever. Tom and Summer go through all the same challenges couples go through -- that part doesn't (and really can't, if you think about it) change -- but by putting a number on each day, we look forward to which part comes next.

3. It utilizes old tools in new, innovative ways.

3a. Keen Narration. Our narrator sounds like a guy who does voiceovers for National Geographic specials. "There are two types of people in this world. There are men; and there are women," he says. While he sounds boring, the narrator only comes in at key points in the story (as opposed to parts in other films where narration is told in first person, and only summarizes the weaker parts of the storyline), and provides in-your-face commentary on how to react to what's going on. For example, we're quickly reminded that (500) Days of Summer isn't a love story; rather, it's a story about love. After we find out that Summer is not a season, but a character in the film, we should know that the relationship has a timeline.
3b. Split Screens. Quite possibly my favorite scene (other than the one I'm about to mention) is when we see that Tom's expectations of an upcoming event are greatly different than the reality that unfolds. Instead of playing his expectations, followed by the reality - director Marc Webb opts to use a split screen to give a side-by-side comparison of "Expectations" (left side of screen) versus "Reality" (right side of screen). It's a sad scene, but nonetheless brilliantly constructed.
3c. Soundtrack. My favorite scene is the musical number. Seriously, how can you not love a spontaneous dance sequence filmed to Hall & Oates' "You Make My Dreams Come True?" What better way to describe a feeling than that! Also, (500) Days does for Regina Spektor's heartwrenching voice what When Harry Met Sally did for Harry Connick Jr.'s laid-back jazz. I could go on for hours about this soundtrack, but only if a really desperate reader of this blog puts in a request.

What also makes it a near-classic is the chemistry between the characters, combined with the situations they are confronted with. As our narrator so eloquantly points out, Tom Hanson is a hopeless romantic who believes he will know the moment he finds "the one;" and Summer is the girl who doesn't share in his belief. How it all plays out is something for you to find out when you see it. (I mean, I can't explain it all for you. I gotta leave something for you to take with you to the theatre. Go see it. Seriously.)Yea, it's still a story of boy-meets-girl; and yea, it tells all the up's and down's of a modern-day relationship. What makes (500) Days of Summer one of the summer's greatest movies is the story itself, how how it's told unlike any other romantic comedy. And if you appreciate that, you will not leave disappointed.

The only reason why I deem this film to be a near-classic, and not a total classic, is because time plays a roll in the quality of romantic comedies. If you don't believe me, take Say Anything. It was a classic! ...when it came out. Who couldn't deny John Cusak pouring his heart out through the voice of Peter Gabriel. Seriously. I still can't wait to do that for a girl - it's pure ballsy. Now that it's been 20 years, people turn to When Harry Met Sally as the classic from the late 80's, and many times forget to mention Say Anything until someone (like me, who still loves it) brings it up. Another example: Love, Actually. We're quickly seeing this film dip into romantic comedy mediocrity, and why? Because there isn't a tag line that makes it stand the test of time. That sucks, because this film is awesome. Let's hope the Christmas motif allows it to at least be a turn-to during the holiday season.

(500) Days of Summer will be a film I remember forever. It got me. Now will it be remembered by everyone else - thus making it a classic? Only time will tell.

Grade: A