Genre: Romantic Comedy
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Matthew Gray Gubler, Chloe Moretz
Running Time: 95 minutes (plus trailers)
“You should know up front; this is not a love story.”
If there one genre of film that I often overlook, it is that of the romantic comedy. Not because I dislike romantic comedies particularly; indeed, I can think of several that I really enjoyed. But for the most part, they’re just kinda…blah. Ninety nine times out of a hundred, they follow a very predictable formula that doesn’t allow for much originality; you usually get two decent performances from actors interested solely in a pay check, and in terms of direction, they’re usually competently made, but without any visual flair or distinction. So while I don’t hate romantic comedies, for the most part they plain don’t interest me. And to be honest, I’d rather see a bad film than an uninteresting one…because at least I get to abuse the crap out of bad movies afterwards. The notion of an interesting romantic comedy seemed to me like the notion of a decent video game adaptation…or to pick a less lofty example…the notion of God. And by that I mean; it’s a fantastic concept, but I need to see it for myself before I can believe it exists. Well, after catching a preview screening of (500) Days of Summer, I have been converted. The witty, original, interesting romantic comedy does exist - what a miracle.
That being said, I think I’m going to try and refrain from comparing it God again if I can avoid it…it’s good, but it’s probably not that good.
The voice-over at the beginning of the film tells us that this movie is not a love story. It is a story of a boy, Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who meets a girl, Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel. Still with me? Good, because that’s about all I’m going tell you. The thing that puts (500) Days of Summer head and shoulders above almost every other romantic comedy I’ve ever seen is because it doesn’t follow the formula, and in fact, it throws the entire formula out the window. The movie starts with the couple – if such a term can even be applied – breaking up, and then jumps backwards and forwards in time between Day 1 and Day 500 of their relationship, exploring how it came to be, and how it came to an end. The non linear story telling provides the filmmakers with an opportunity to approach this subject matter like never before, showing us in an incredibly clever way how a relationship slowly changes.
First time director Marc Webb does a terrific job navigating the quirky script, and the movie is filled with original touches; flashbacks, flash forwards, musical numbers and a brillaint sequence done in split screen. Again, the word I keep coming back to is “interesting”; Webb does things you haven’t seen before, which are of course are the things you are going to remember. The dialogue is witty and amusing, the soundtrack is excellent and both leads give stellar performances, as does the supporting cast. Moreover, all the characters (with the possible exception of a very articulate twelve year old girl) seem very genuine, and it didn’t take long before I felt as though I personally knew each and every one of them. The film also has some good drama, and the end of the day, a very optimistic message about love.
(500) Days of Summer really is just an all round good time. Funny, moving, and, best of all, fresh. I know a few people who got put off by some of the wittier-than-thou dialogue in the trailer, but c’mon guys, check your cynicism at the door – you can pick it up when you leave. There’s not too much more I can say about the film, other than “go and see it already.” And despite the fact that it is essentially a story about a relationship that comes to an end, (500) Days of Summer would still make for a better date movie than anything else out there right now. Because what the voice-over tell you is true; this is not a love story. But it is a story about love
(500) Days of Summer will be in theatres in Australia from September 17th (I wish I lived overseas!)
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Matthew Gray Gubler, Chloe Moretz
Running Time: 95 minutes (plus trailers)
“You should know up front; this is not a love story.”
If there one genre of film that I often overlook, it is that of the romantic comedy. Not because I dislike romantic comedies particularly; indeed, I can think of several that I really enjoyed. But for the most part, they’re just kinda…blah. Ninety nine times out of a hundred, they follow a very predictable formula that doesn’t allow for much originality; you usually get two decent performances from actors interested solely in a pay check, and in terms of direction, they’re usually competently made, but without any visual flair or distinction. So while I don’t hate romantic comedies, for the most part they plain don’t interest me. And to be honest, I’d rather see a bad film than an uninteresting one…because at least I get to abuse the crap out of bad movies afterwards. The notion of an interesting romantic comedy seemed to me like the notion of a decent video game adaptation…or to pick a less lofty example…the notion of God. And by that I mean; it’s a fantastic concept, but I need to see it for myself before I can believe it exists. Well, after catching a preview screening of (500) Days of Summer, I have been converted. The witty, original, interesting romantic comedy does exist - what a miracle.That being said, I think I’m going to try and refrain from comparing it God again if I can avoid it…it’s good, but it’s probably not that good.
The voice-over at the beginning of the film tells us that this movie is not a love story. It is a story of a boy, Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who meets a girl, Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel. Still with me? Good, because that’s about all I’m going tell you. The thing that puts (500) Days of Summer head and shoulders above almost every other romantic comedy I’ve ever seen is because it doesn’t follow the formula, and in fact, it throws the entire formula out the window. The movie starts with the couple – if such a term can even be applied – breaking up, and then jumps backwards and forwards in time between Day 1 and Day 500 of their relationship, exploring how it came to be, and how it came to an end. The non linear story telling provides the filmmakers with an opportunity to approach this subject matter like never before, showing us in an incredibly clever way how a relationship slowly changes.
First time director Marc Webb does a terrific job navigating the quirky script, and the movie is filled with original touches; flashbacks, flash forwards, musical numbers and a brillaint sequence done in split screen. Again, the word I keep coming back to is “interesting”; Webb does things you haven’t seen before, which are of course are the things you are going to remember. The dialogue is witty and amusing, the soundtrack is excellent and both leads give stellar performances, as does the supporting cast. Moreover, all the characters (with the possible exception of a very articulate twelve year old girl) seem very genuine, and it didn’t take long before I felt as though I personally knew each and every one of them. The film also has some good drama, and the end of the day, a very optimistic message about love.(500) Days of Summer really is just an all round good time. Funny, moving, and, best of all, fresh. I know a few people who got put off by some of the wittier-than-thou dialogue in the trailer, but c’mon guys, check your cynicism at the door – you can pick it up when you leave. There’s not too much more I can say about the film, other than “go and see it already.” And despite the fact that it is essentially a story about a relationship that comes to an end, (500) Days of Summer would still make for a better date movie than anything else out there right now. Because what the voice-over tell you is true; this is not a love story. But it is a story about love
(500) Days of Summer will be in theatres in Australia from September 17th (I wish I lived overseas!)
