ALARIS' REVIEWS

28th November 2009
(500) Days of Summer (2009)

I've always been impressed by the work of actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun, 1996; Brick, 2005), but I haven't been able to watch most of his films because they're far too hardcore for me (eg. Mysterious Skin, 2004). When I heard he was starring in an intelligent romantic comedy, I thought "Finally, a Gordon-Levitt movie I can watch without wanting to kill myself".

Boy, did I get that wrong.

Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a greeting card writer who dreams of meeting The One. Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) is an office assistant who doesn't believe in love or serious relationships. (500) Days of Summer follows the quiet, agonising disintegration of their relationship.

I generally avoid movies about failed relationships, for the same reason I avoid movies about torture or domestic violence. I get that information from the real world - I watch movies to remind myself that good stuff maybe exists.

Having said that, (500) Days of Summer is a well-made film, if not necessarily enjoyable. Gordon-Levitt is deeply empathetic as the painfully ordinary Tom, and the story's occasional bursts of quirky humour reminded me of Dead Like Me (2003) or Pushing Daisies (2007) . The non-linear chronology is easy to follow, and effectively contrasts key moments in Tom and Summer's relationship.

A lot of people adore Deschanel, and she seems a nice enough person, but her characters really rub me the wrong way (Tin Man, 2007; Yes Man, 2008). There's nothing wrong with her penchant for playing kooky, wide eyed, free spirits, but I find it extremely difficult to empathise with her breezy, cutesy charm. Watching Deschanel's characters, I always feel like I'm on the outside, watching a wholesome surface that betrays no doubt, no self consciousness, and no real hunger. Compared to female leads like Jaye Tyler (Wonderfalls, 2006), Liz Lemon (30Rock, 2006), or even Sarah Walker (Chuck, 2007), Summer just doesn't feel real to me.

The fact that several of Deschanel's characters have a habit of walking up to men they hardly know and kissing them, then leaving the delighted man abruptly, is also something I find annoying. It's a pet hate of mine.

(500) Days of Summer is an effective portrait of a decaying relationship, and the banality of every excruciating, desolate step towards complete distintegration. The quirky touches aren't nearly enough to balance the harrowing ordinariness of two people growing painfully apart.

While (500) Days of Summer has a good deal of merit, I found it upsetting rather than enjoyable.

Verdict: A painful, occasionally quirky, romantic tragedy about a relationship falling apart.

If you like movies containing the word 'ennui', you might like this.

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Read Clementine's review of (500) Days of Summer (2009).