(500) Days of Summer

Director: Marc Webb
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Moretz, Matthew Gray Gubler and Clark Gregg
DVD release: 10 February 2010
Rated: M

Summer lovin', happens so fast

"A story of boy meets girl, but know up front it’s not a love story”. So we are warned by the droll ‘voice of God’ narrator at the beginning of (500) Days of Summer. This unusual romantic comedy follows two quirky characters during a year and a half of their tumultuous courtship in Los Angeles. It’s elevated by the compelling performances of its two leads, imaginative direction and exhilarating visual treatment.

Day 1 begins. Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), wannabe architect but employed as a writer of romantic greeting cards, is wounded by Cupid’s arrow immediately after meeting Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel), his boss’s stunning new secretary with a considerable 'wow' factor. Though Summer’s rather out of his league it seems Tom has many things in common with her. “We’re compatible like crazy”.

By Day 31 things are steaming along, albeit casually. Tom’s really smitten hard, living in the magical world of Summer in his mind. By Day 185 things have gone to pot, but there is still hope. The story winds back and forth through their on-and-off romance, from sublime bliss to the depths of despair. Tom pursues his elusive object of desire with considerable vigour and persistence. But has Summer’s interest wandered in directions elsewhere?

The central performances have a delightful offbeat charm. With her big blue eyes making you think of the word ‘beguiling’, Zooey Deschanel (Bridge to Terabithia) is cute beyond doubt. Summer's at once dynamic and desirable. Deschanel plays her peepers at the camera to considerable effect. While Joseph Gordon-Levitt (G.I. Joe) is a clean-cut young guy with a solid slice of charismatic screen presence, their scenes together simmer with suppressed emotions. The supporting cast don’t let the side down either with good value from Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds), Geoffrey Arend (Garden State) and Clark Gregg (Iron Man).

‘We all know Summer because Summer isn’t just a girl - she’s an event’ says Marc Webb, the director in his debut feature, who brings Tom’s love-addled vision to the screen with considerable flair. Time shifts are introduced by the simple means of a numbers counter which works well for the many leaps in chronology. There’s clever use of split-screen when we see Tom’s expectations along side the grim reality of his situation. Animation also helps build the romantic atmosphere, as does the well-suited music.

You have to be impressed by Eric Steelberg's (Juno) carefully lit, crisp camerawork, the hallmark of good American movies. When they do it well, they do it very well. There are none of those muddy images sometimes seen today, here the stylish visuals are worth the looking at. The whole thing is effectively edited by Alan Edward Bell (Little Manhattan). Production values are high, with an inventive script by Scott Neustadler and Michael H. Weber (Pink Panther 2).

Scenes which remain in the memory include the Ikea sequence with the bewildered Chinese in the bathroom, the joyful frolic in the park, Summer’s big dewy-eyed closeups, and Tom’s heart-to-heart chats with his precocious but well-meaning little sister Rachel played by Chloe Moretz (The Eye).

There’s much to admire in this contemporary romantic essay. Amusing with an audacious originality, (500) Days of Summer is an intelligent emotional look at the battleground of a passionate, unpredictable affair. As a ironic lesson in the difficulties of true love, it should prove to be a crowd-pleaser.

John Bale