Just so you know, this movie isn’t about a future time where
global warming has made Summer last for almost two years. No, the
Summer in the title is a young woman by that name (Zooey
Deschanel), and this is about the relationship she has with Tom,
(Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a male coworker at a Los Angeles greeting
card company. Signs proclaim that this company has been in business
for over 75 years, but based on the cards Tom and others write, I
haven’t the slightest idea why they are still solvent. For example,
one motivational card features a photo of a cat on the roof gazing
at a flying bird. “Go for it” is the admonition inside. In the
weekly staff meeting, Tom criticizes the card by saying: “You’re
prompting suicide. If that cat goes for it, he’ll leap to his
death.”
I should perhaps explain that this event occurs on or about the
389th day of Summer — which is a week or so after Summer has broken
up with Tom, and he’s feeling depressed and overly critical of
everything.
Now don’t get upset that I’ve told you a big secret that you
don’t discover until halfway through the movie. Director Marc Webb
and screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber don’t tell
their tale in a linear fashion. So although you begin on or around
Day 1, the next scene could be from Day 300 or Day 81 or any other
sequence of days that tell the tale in a consistently fresh and
original manner. Because, when you come right down to it, this is
the familiar boy meets girl, girl dumps boy, kind of story.
Wait a minute. Isn’t it supposed to be the girl who is dumped?
Isn’t it supposed to be the guy who says “I’m not looking for
anything serious?” Isn’t it the guy who is supposed to have had a
number of relationships but doesn’t want to talk about them? Isn’t
it the girl who is supposed to wait by the phone and talk
incessantly with friends about what she should do next, and when
should she call, and did you see the way he looked at me?
Isn’t it usually the girl who falls in love at first sight?
Well maybe in most romantic comedies, but not in “(500) Days of
Summer.” This time around, it’s the guy who is head over heels in
love. Unfortunately for him (but to the audience’s benefit), he’s
neurotic enough to try and play it “cool and sophisticated.” As a
result, he misses all the warning signs—first, of his infatuation
and then of the inevitable break up. His long-time buddies try to
help, and even his preadolescent younger sister (Chloe Moretz)
bicycles across town late one night for some active intervention.
“You’ve been thinking of all the good times you had with Summer,”
she advises. “Now it’s time to look at those memories the way they
really happened.”
One of Tom’s fondest memories is the afternoon he and Summer
spent at the IKEA store. This Swedish company sells highly
engineered furniture, appliances and accessories for every room in
the house, and their showrooms come complete with several compact
“homes” displayed. In an extended sequence, Tom and Summer “play
house” at IKEA, preparing dinner, washing dishes, and watching TV.
They eventually end up stretched out in the bedroom where Tom
softly whispers into Summer’s ear, “Don’t look up, but I think
there’s a Chinese family watching from our bathroom.”
Marc Webb’s cut his teeth on music videos, and the soundtrack
plays an important part of the film. Tom initially connects with
Summer when they ride the elevator together and she hears The
Smiths playing through his headphones. Later, Tom confesses that he
always hears Patrick Swayze’s “She’s Like the Wind,” when he sees
Summer. Other songs feature Carla Bruni, Hall and Oates, Regina
Spektor, Simon and Garfunkle, and even the theme from the Knight
Rider TV show.
It’s a quirky mix, but they all fit perfectly.
Comments? E-mail Gil at: gi*********@co*****.net.
