My initial comments about the movie 500 Days of Summer of course was pretty much on target but after watching it in full, I must say I am more impressed than I was when I first discovered this movie.
First I want to express that I still like Zooey Deschanel and now I have also developed a certain respect for Joseph Gordon-Levitt as well. I know when I first reviewed the film I was a bit concerned with Gordon-Levitt’s match up with Deschanel’s character but based on what the movie was about, I can certainly see where he would fit in to play the distraught Tom Hansen who falls for Summer Finn in a misunderstood relationship.
Second, the movie has a very creative and fresh approach to a topic that has been beaten to a pulp in Hollywood standards about Love, relationship, heartbreak and finally the light at the end of a tunnel or perhaps lack thereof. What sets this movie apart from most is that writers Scott Neustadter and Michael Webber along with director Marc Webb have created a story about what we think we perceive about a relationship or understand the course it takes, is not necessarily what it is.
From scene to scene, you see the usual boy meets girl, boy and girl fall for one another, they date, they spend time together but girl doesn’t want a commitment while the boy tries every way possible to label the relationship. As a result she ends the relationship and he is heartbroken. But as the movie flips back and forth from day 1 to 500 to 25 to 360 to 220 to 18, the audience is able to put the pieces together which determine that the signs the boy constantly missed about the times he spent with the girl as a result of going into it blindly.
The beauty of this movie is also the simple and natural way the actors connected, the way they dressed and the places they frequented. You can see director Webb’s fascination with architecture throughout the entire movie and his push to keeping it green. The other appealing aspect was the soundtrack, perfectly selected songs timely channeled to enhance the audience experience while watching the movie.
I think what saddens me the most is, these types of movies are often overlooked by the 20 something year old movie goers and are often left for DVD rental by the rest. But in any case, I think this movie is the best I have seen regarding matters of the heart and I highly recommend it for anyone and everyone.
B-lot buzz 