Review: "(500) DAYS OF SUMMER"

If there's one film genre that I've come to detest in recent years, it's the romantic comedy. A victim of the same formula dressed up as something "new" or "original", the genre lost my respect when it seemed that no filmmaker would be daring and disregard the same old story:

1. Boy meets girl.

2. Boy and girl develop a cordial friendship.

3. Boy and girl discover that they just LOVE each other.

4. Boy and girl happily begin a romantic relationship.

5. Montage #1 (Happy).

6. Tensions gradually begin to build, be it because of a perceived slight, a former lover entering the picture, or an argument blown out of proportion.

7. Boy and girl break up.

8. Montage #2 (Sad).

9. Thanks to the help/sound advice of their wacky/wise-beyond-their-years friends, boy and girl rediscover how they're meant for each other.

10. Boy and girl reunite. Credits roll.

It just gets tiring. Not only does this formula remain stale, but it can present a non-realistic depiction of relationships, and it never presents the possibility that not all romances are meant to be. How relieved I was, then, when I happened upon (500) Days of Summer, a brilliant, delightful, and wholly original anti-romance, bolstered by a terrific script, taut direction, a wonderfully unconventional non-linear storytelling device, and completely engaging performances by the two leads.

Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a text-writer for a Los Angeles greeting card company, but his heart and passion is for architecture. It's during a meeting at work that he discovers his boss' new assistant, Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel). Instantly smitten, Tom (following a drunken karaoke session), lets slip that he's attracted to Summer. The attraction is revealed to be mutual, and over the following months, the two become close.

However, Summer makes it clear that she doesn't believe in love or the whole boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic. This obstacle proves to be a major obstacle for Tom, whose ideas of true love are not held by Summer.

Executed in a non-linear format where the story jumps back and forth from various days in Tom and Summer's 500-day relationship, (500) Days fabulously examines the highs and lows of a relationship, juxtaposing the pure bliss of puppy love with the devastating realities of rejection. It also studies in a non-cynical way about how fate and destiny may be entirely fictional concepts, and how the world instead operates purely on coincidence. The film is free of cliche or schmaltz, and yet it brims with a genuine sense of warmth, realism, and intimacy.

First-time feature director and acclaimed music video helmer Marc Webb, working from a wonderful script by Michael Weber and Scott Neustadter, effortlessly balances the emotions at play. We're not merely observers of Tom's story: we practically feel like we're involved. We feel his confusion, sadness, and frustration during his moments of heartbreak; we also feel his joy when he's on top of the world (best personified by quite possibly the most sublime musical number seen in a non-musical film, set to Hall & Oates' "You Make My Dreams").

Of course, the film would be nothing without its stars. Continuing to prove that he's one of the finest actors of his generation, Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers a performance of a lifetime. Clearly having grown tremendously as an actor since his "3rd Rock from the Sun" and 10 Things I Hate About You days, Gordon-Levitt is superb as the lovesick romantic whose ideas of true love may not be entirely realistic.

Zooey Deschanel is terrific as the girl that Tom considers "The One". Charming, bright, and incredibly adorable, Deschanel gives a fully-fleshed performance so convincing and engaging that WE fall in love with her too.

So to be clear, (500) Days of Summer is NOT a love story. It IS a boy-meets-girl story, but that's pretty much where the similarities with conventional romance movies end. It's a thoughtful examination on the nature of love, destiny, and how some things in life just can't be explained. It reminds one that life can be full of sad endings, yet still have the potential for new beginnings. One of the best "romantic" films I've ever seen thanks to its uncoventional-yet-genuine storytelling (reminding one of classics like Annie Hall, Love Actually, and High Fidelity) and astounding work both on camera and off, you'll wish this Summer never ends.

Letter Grade: "A"