Film Review: (500) Days Of Summer

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

(500) Days Of Summer is a bit of a change from my usual viewing but I had heard so many good things about it, it would be ignorant to not see it!

(500)... stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel and is directed by Marc Webb (who will be helming the 2012 Spiderman reboot) and is scripted by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. Summer, before I go on, refers to the name of Deschanel's character.

It is certainly not your usual rom-com but does contain both of these but really does twist the tried and tired 'Boy meets girl, Boy falls for girl...' formula. Using different devices such as dance routines (a spectacular number to Hall and Oate's 'You Make My Dreams' which will leave a massive smile on your face guaranteed) or split screens for Tom Hansen's (Gordon-Levitt) expectations and reality.

The great thing I found about this was how I felt about the characters after the film. I could not believe how Summer treated Tom at the end. But the more I thought about it...she never actually lied to him about anything. She only wanted some fun, but Tom wanted more. I'm sure some of us have been there one time or another!

But of course that is just my view on it. The note at the start that takes a pop (I assume) at who the film is based on would indicate that Summer is being made the bad guy (gal) of the film. I felt more that Tom just ended up embarrassing himself but I guess it all worked out in the end.

If I had to 'downside' it there was a bit of cringey dialogue in there ("I love how she makes me feel, like anything's possible, or like life is worth it") but that may just be the cynic in me coming out.

****

A great directing debut from Webb, two brilliant performances from the leads and doing something with the genre may not equal 500, but does equal a great film.