500 Days of Summer is one of those films that surprises you. I was surprised. When Maria mentioned that she wanted to watch it I was kind of skeptical. It looked like a chick flick, and even though I’ve been known not to mind a chick flick from time to time, I still approach them with some reserve. That said, 500 Days of Summer was really anything but a chick flick. Instead, it was an absolutely wonderful piece of film making that stretched and bent the edges of narrative story-telling, character and plot development, and imagination. It’s a must-see.
What’s great about 500 Days of Summer is that it felt so fresh. Not only did it have a young and charming cast, but the whole feel of the movie was young and charming without coming off as immature. I’m thinking here of the difference between this film, which was well-written, well-cast, and well-executed and a piece of absolute horseshit like Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Both films are ostensibly about the same thing, I think, but one is great while the other is not.
500 Days of Summer is intelligent. As a narrative about a boy and a girl it jumps from day to day throughout the 500 days of their relationship. For example, you might be on Day 200 in one scene and Day 3 in another. It’s smart that way, and I like how it plays with the narrative structure, telling the story in a completely non-linear fashion. It keeps you on your toes and reveals bits and pieces about our characters and their relationship in a really interesting way. For what it’s worth, it felt like Memento as a romantic comedy, and I liked that—a lot.
And it’s plays with you. It pushes the edges of imagination and memory. Without spoiling too much there are several scenes that are just fun and fit perfectly with the way the film is structured. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, at all.
Really, anyone that doesn’t like the film is either dead or a robot—or has terrible taste in movies.
500 Days of Summer is something new and fresh in film-making. That alone isn’t enough to make a good movie but coupled with a great cast, a great storyline, and the beautiful Boston backdrop and you’ve got a perfect film.
Worst. Ending. Ever.
I agree that the name of that girl “Autumn” was a very poor choice. I know it was supposed to be sort of tongue in cheek….but the ending would have been better without that.
It was a delightful little film but after it was done I started piecing their relationship together in chronological order and the magic was pretty much gone. With the story told start to finish all that’s left is a romance that never gets past infatuation and yet leaves a character wallowing in self pity for months on end.
I did love the graphic design and the cinematography of the aside scenes though. No amount of weak story could ever ruin those.