FLIX/ No Sap in Delightful 500 Days of Summer

Photo by Chuck Zlotnick The film, shown from Tom’s perspective, goes back and forth between Day 1 and Day 500 of his time with Summer, showing the good times and bad.

The (500) Days of Summer, rated PG-13 and which opened July 17, stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom, a greeting card writer who falls head over heels for a co-worker who doesn’t feel the same way towards him.  
 

Photo by Chuck Zlotnick The next time you go to IKEA, it might be a little more fun than usual if you follow Tom and Summer’s model.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has somehow transformed himself from a dopey kid on a sitcom into an actor who plays characters with an edge.  He’s gone from playing a lovelorn high schooler in Ten Things I Hate About You who pines after the pretty girl in school to roles where he plays a lovelorn bitter twenty-something who pines after the attractive girl in the office.  
 
I guess he really hasn’t changed all that much.  Somehow he landed the part of Cobra Commander in this summer’s G.I. Joe.  That’s like finding out Wesley from Mr. Belvedere is going to play The Riddler in the next Batman movie.  

Zooey Deschanel plays the aforementioned co-worker, Summer.  Summer is a free-spirit who says she’s not looking for a boyfriend.  This is a line that many girls use when they aren’t interested in a particular guy as a way to let the guy down easy without hurting him.  
 
In Summer’s case she actually means it, hurt feelings be damned.  It seems everywhere you look there’s a Deschanel in a movie or TV show.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  To be honest, it is a nice step-up from seeing a Kardashian on every fifth channel.  At least the Deschanels are talented.

(500) Days of Summer’s title is a little misleading.  If you go in expecting some magical time period where summer exists for a year and a half, you’ll be disappointed.  If you are expecting a story of two people, one who views their relationship as the most important thing in life and the other who sees it as something to pass the time and the conflict that lies therein, you’ll be pleased you went to see this movie.

The film begins with a narrator telling the audience a little but about Tom, Summer and their relationship.  Unfortunately it isn’t narrated by James Earl Jones, who should be narrating every movie that needs one, but at least it’s not Bob Saget.  
 
Someone at the home office of How I Met Your Mother needs to explain to me how the main character, who narrates their show, can have a voice different from his own no more than twenty years later.  There isn’t a second puberty at 45.

Courtesy photo (500) Days of Summer, rated PG-13 and opening July 17, stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom, a greeting card writer who falls head over heels for a co-worker who doesn’t feel the same way towards him.

The film, shown from Tom’s perspective, goes back and forth between Day 1 and Day 500 of his time with Summer, showing the good times and bad.  The good, as would be assumed, are closer to Day 1 and the bad are closer to Day 500.  The stereotypical gender roles are reversed in that Tom is the one who believes in true love while Summer is skeptical.

Along the way of his courting of Summer, Tom is accompanied by a few confidants who steal several scenes.  Just like how he took over the first scene of Super Troopers, Geoffrey Arend makes the most of his screen time as Tom’s co-worker, friend, and some time voice of reason.  Tom also turns to his adolescent sister Rachel for advice.  She’s like a 12 year old version of Yoda, except with a foul mouth and disregard for people’s feelings.

(500) Days of Summer is an entertaining movie that most of the audience should be able to relate to.
 
There is one scene in particular, that involves the song “You Make My Dreams Come True” that every guy has played out in his mind after a big night, probably without the Hall and Oats soundtrack.  
 
Another great scene shows how Tom had hoped the night would play out side by side with how it actually transpired. If only real life worked out like a Choose Your Own Adventure book.  
 
And the next time you go to IKEA, it might be a little more fun than usual if you follow Tom and Summer’s model.    

The movie is the directorial debut of Marc Webb.  
 
Many times the first time someone tries something it won’t be as successful as the second or third effort.  While we don’t know how good the next few projects for Marc Webb will be, it is safe to say he’s done the equivalent of hitting a home run in his first at-bat.  
 
Even if the next two movies aren’t acclaimed, he’s still hitting .333, which if done for a whole career can get you in the Hall of Fame.  

To contact the writer, email him at stevedettorre@yahoo.com