WFF Thoughts: 500 Days of Summer

Alright, I'm going to try my best to avoid making too many comments regarding my personal experience seeing this film.  Let's just say that watching a film sitting next to a group of girls who are discussing how they are going to hook up with the writers and director of the film does not make for a completely pleasant movie-going experience.

Beyond that, I was pleasantly surprised by the film.  As the trailers have said, "this is not a love story, this is a story about love."  It ends up that this is not simply a way to avoid being labeled a romantic comedy, but actually a very apt description of the film.  Without going into too much detail regarding the story, you learn early on that this is not about two people falling head over heels in love, but one person falling with the other person standing firmly in place.  This, of course, brings about the lies they tell each other and the ways they delude themselves.  The story isn't groundbreaking, but definitely unique enough to make an interesting film.

The comedy in the film is solid overall.  Most of the jokes are sharp and clever, with only a few falling into the cliche or cheesy category.  In all honesty though, even those portions seemed oddly appropriate most of the time, even the last line of the film (which I won't spoil for you, but it was incredibly cheesy and evoked cheers from the audience).

The characters aren't as developed as I wished them to be, but they all served their purpose reasonably well.  Each adds something unique to the overall story and I don't think any of them could be seen as unnecessary.  That said, this was clearly Tom's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) story.  What we know of the other characters we learn through Tom's experiences, with the one exception of the introduction of Summer (Zooey Deschanel) at the start of the film.  We really see all the events of the film through Tom's eyes, which means when he gets metaphorically kicked in the crotch, we all get metaphorically kicked in the crotch.  Luckily these moments are cushioned by enough wit and charm to make it all not only bearable but actually enjoyable.

Other Thoughts:

• Stories told out of chronological order seem really difficult to write effectively.  Well, done guys.
• Who can blame Tom for falling in love with her?  It's Zooey Deschanel for god's sake!
• Having a world wise tween sister that gives you advice on your relationships seems like it would be more creepy than helpful.
• According to the girlfriend, the kissing in this movie is fantastic
• PENIS!

In summary:  If you get the chance, check this out in the theater.  Otherwise, its definitely worth at least a rental.