Published: Friday, July 17, 2009
Gimmicks can’t sustain ‘(500) Days of Summer’
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Associated Press/Fox Searchlight, Chuck Zlotnick
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (left) and Zooey Deschanel play a couple involved in a doomed romance in “(500) Days of Summer.”
I suppose it takes guts to release a film about a failed love story in the teeth of summer-movie good times, so “(500) Days of Summer” gets an extra mark for going slightly off the beaten path.
And its jumbled chronology is also worth noting: We see the happiness of a young couple on Day 48 of their affair, for instance, immediately juxtaposed with the frosty dissatisfaction of Day 430. Then back to Day 12 for the early blush of flirtation.
The young lovers in this scenario are Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel). They work in an office of no particular description.
Tom, we quickly learn, is crazy about Summer. Summer, as she tells Tom early in their relationship, isn’t really that interested in a serious love deal.
The movie’s time-tripping structure takes away conventional suspense, that’s for sure. This thing isn’t going to end well, and we know it all along, which means the filmmakers better have a talent for beguiling scenes and the actors better be on their games.
The actors are indeed good. Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to impress, after his turns in “Brick” and “The Lookout.”
If romantic comedy doesn’t seem an exact match for him (at times you can’t blame Summer for resisting closeness with this intense dude), he nevertheless commits all the way to it.
Nowhere is this more evident than in a musical number, anachronistically set to a Hall and Oates tune, in which Tom dances out his joy over a successful Summer encounter. This sequence would be totally delightful if it hadn’t already been done a zillion times in movies and TV.
That wonderfully monotone actress Zooey Deschanel has a tough role. Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber signal as much with their misjudged opening dedication, which aims the film at past girlfriends and ends with a five-letter epithet. (This is a very male movie.)
In fact, Summer is completely honest with Tom about the fact that she won’t be around for the long term. He’s the idiot who keeps believing she’ll change her mind.
Director Marc Webb, in his feature debut, reaches to make this an “Annie Hall” for the 21st century: a love story in which boy loses girl. But the kids are too callow to earn a deeper response than “Gee, that’s a bummer,” and the funny stuff isn’t memorable.
“(500) Days” begins to look like a gimmick on two fronts: its nonlinear approach, and its role reversal. Even taken together, these aren’t enough to buoy up a romcom if it isn’t otherwise touched with some magic.
“(500) Days of Summer”
Two gimmicks distinguish this romcom: a nonlinear structure, and a role-reversal in which the boy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is the ardent romantic and the girl (Zooey Deschanel) is reluctant and detached. Those aren’t good enough to buoy up this well-meaning but basically bummed-out movie.
Rated: PG-13 for language, subject matter
Showing: Guild 45th, Pacific Place
And its jumbled chronology is also worth noting: We see the happiness of a young couple on Day 48 of their affair, for instance, immediately juxtaposed with the frosty dissatisfaction of Day 430. Then back to Day 12 for the early blush of flirtation.
The young lovers in this scenario are Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel). They work in an office of no particular description.
Tom, we quickly learn, is crazy about Summer. Summer, as she tells Tom early in their relationship, isn’t really that interested in a serious love deal.
The movie’s time-tripping structure takes away conventional suspense, that’s for sure. This thing isn’t going to end well, and we know it all along, which means the filmmakers better have a talent for beguiling scenes and the actors better be on their games.
The actors are indeed good. Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to impress, after his turns in “Brick” and “The Lookout.”
If romantic comedy doesn’t seem an exact match for him (at times you can’t blame Summer for resisting closeness with this intense dude), he nevertheless commits all the way to it.
Nowhere is this more evident than in a musical number, anachronistically set to a Hall and Oates tune, in which Tom dances out his joy over a successful Summer encounter. This sequence would be totally delightful if it hadn’t already been done a zillion times in movies and TV.
That wonderfully monotone actress Zooey Deschanel has a tough role. Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber signal as much with their misjudged opening dedication, which aims the film at past girlfriends and ends with a five-letter epithet. (This is a very male movie.)
In fact, Summer is completely honest with Tom about the fact that she won’t be around for the long term. He’s the idiot who keeps believing she’ll change her mind.
Director Marc Webb, in his feature debut, reaches to make this an “Annie Hall” for the 21st century: a love story in which boy loses girl. But the kids are too callow to earn a deeper response than “Gee, that’s a bummer,” and the funny stuff isn’t memorable.
“(500) Days” begins to look like a gimmick on two fronts: its nonlinear approach, and its role reversal. Even taken together, these aren’t enough to buoy up a romcom if it isn’t otherwise touched with some magic.
“(500) Days of Summer”
Two gimmicks distinguish this romcom: a nonlinear structure, and a role-reversal in which the boy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is the ardent romantic and the girl (Zooey Deschanel) is reluctant and detached. Those aren’t good enough to buoy up this well-meaning but basically bummed-out movie.
Rated: PG-13 for language, subject matter
Showing: Guild 45th, Pacific Place
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