Movie Review: 500 Days of Summer

My expectations for 500 Days of Summer, based on online reviews, were high. Perhaps unfairly so, as nothing can kill one's enjoyment of a film more than high expectations. The film gathered a lot of positive buzz in the lead-up to its Australian release date, to the point where I was expecting something intelligent, deep and thoroughly unconventional. What I got was definitely intelligent and somewhat deeper than the average romantic comedy, but ultimately a lot more conventional than its indie clothing would have you believe.

The film centres around Tom Hansen, played by Joseph Gordon Levitt (when will I hear his name and not think "Ha! It's Tommy from 3rd Rock From the Sun!"? I suspect never). Tom is a hopeless romantic who believes that one day he'll meet a girl who's just right for him. He falls for Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel - super adorable and cute and when oh when will she be mine?), who is firmly against the idea of falling in love. Thus, conflict!

This film - more than any other I've seen recently - is one by, for and about indie hipster kids. There's no way around it. The main character's wardrobe consists entirely of variations on rumpled shirt/skinny tie/sweatervest or cardigan, the characters are often name-checking bands like The Smiths, the Pixies and Belle & Sebastian, and they bond at a karaoke function, which is an activity so lame that it's hilariously ironic. If you find that sort of thing unnecessarily and/or annoyingly twee, then this movie may not be for you. I was fine with it, finding that it gave the film a certain verisimilitude. Like it or not, there are indie hipsters in the world and they do fall in love. Might as well write movies about them.

The film's central conceit - and the reason for it having earned a reputation as being unconventional - is that it's told out of order. The title refers to a literal 500 days that our characters spend in each others' lives, and a flipping calendar at the beginning of each scene lets us know where in the timeline we are. The idea is a good one, and leads to some very effective sequences. For example, a fun-filled Ikea trip to early in the relationship is contrasted against a much more awkward one later in the relationship. It's a clever way of telling the audience exactly how far this relationship has come, conveying a lot of information in a very short space of time using very simple imagery. In short, it's good filmmaking.

A device, however, is not a plot, and the question raised by this technique is the same that's raised every time a film opts for non-linear storytelling: If we took all the scenes apart and rearranged them into chronological order, would they still be compelling? In other words, is the story worth all the effort that's being expended to tell it?

In the case of 500 Days of Summer, the answer is... sort of. Remove the non-linear device and the indie-rock trappings, and we're left with a fairly stock-standard romantic comedy. Boy meets girl, they experience zany antics and angst-filled conflict, boy loses girl, boy attempts to win girl back.

This, in and of itself, is no bad thing. A well done romantic comedy - and this is one - can be a very satisfying experience. But falling into such a well-worn category as the Romantic Comedy also means running the risk of falling victim to that genre's weaknesses, and 500 Days of Summer contains one of the biggest: The underdeveloped female lead.

Gordon-Levitt's Tom Hansen feels like a real person. We get to know his background, his likes and dislikes and his motivations. Deschanel's Summer, however, is a different story. She's the textbook Manic Pixie Dream Girl and we're offered no motivation for her story choices other than She Doesn't Want A Serious Relationship Because She's So Cool. In particular, a decision she makes towards the end of the film feels frustratingly under-motivated, despite the writers' attempts to explain it away.

Despite this, Deschanel does her best with the character. The two lead performances are, in fact, among the film's biggest strengths. The two actors carry the film on their shoulders, and its to their credit that the audience remains invested throughout the weak spots.

Those performances, along with some very funny dialogue and clever storytelling decisions, make 500 Days of Summer a worthwhile choice if you're after a well-made romantic comedy. While far from perfect, the film's good points outweight the bad and it definitely has something to say about the nature of relationships. Just don't go in expecting your mind to be blown and you'll be just fine.