The subject of love as seen in cinema is a tricky beast. It can be interpreted as being manufactured and having no basis in our reality, or overly cynical, which, in a way, is contradictory to love itself. So what is the best solution? What should filmmakers do in order to properly and creatively portray this subject on film?
Thankfully, Marc Webb and co. did not have to worry about this problem with (500) Days of Summer, because, as the narrator clearly states, it's not a love story.
Instead, the film is about misconstrued expectations, the falsehood of memories, and self-happiness.
These themes are represented in the characters Tom and Summer. Tom is a cat who sincerely believes in the "one," having misinterpreted the ending of "The Graduate." Appropriately, he works for a greeting card company. There, he meets Summer Finn, whom he designates as being his one, true love.
Summer, however, is a more complex beast than Tom is initially lead to believe. Their tumultuous relationship causes Tom's behavior, job, and views on life to go completely haywire.
What's truly remarkable about this film is not the outrageous laughs it receives, but the utter, brutal honesty that it offers. The characters in the film are real people, and they behave, and feel just like real people. And despite the idiosyncratic humor, the tone of the film is generally very realistic, a sharp contrast to the cheesy, routine studio pictures of this nature.
One of the most noteworthy and talked about aspects of this film is its peculiar structure. It goes back and forth during the 500 days of their relationship. Seemingly random, it actually helps the audience see Tom's viewpoint, and to be by his side throughout the film.
Portraying Tom is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who has become a sort of indie king. Tom's a bit of an everyman, which is not the easiest thing to pull off. We get to see all of the colors of the rainbow with his character, from his happy post-coital dance to his drunken despair. Levitt plays it beautifully, never missing a beat.
Deschanel, however, might have the toughest part to portray. Summer could easily be a one-dimensional bitch, simply created to drive the story. However, there are many different shades to her character. Her individuality, blunt honesty, and unorthodox sense of humor. Anyone could play the perfect dream girl. Deschanel does one better: she plays an actual girl.
"500 Days" is, for my money, the be-all end-all look at twentysomething love. A valentine to the maturity that comes out of broken relationships.
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