"500 Days of Summer" finally came to the area last weekend, and I finally got to see it. And this visual gem of a movie was all about seeing: Airy lofts, whimsical wardrobe, Los Angeles architecture (who knew?) and a gorgeous wedding. (Don't get excited. As the deep-voiced narrator warned at the beginning: "This is not a love story.")
But it was hard not to fall for the soundtrack (The Smiths, Regina Spektor, Doves, etc.), time-shifting story and cast. (Joseph Gordon-Levitt at his "10 Things I Hate About You" best made an irresistible suitor for the charmingly cruel Zooey Deschanel.) A fellow moviegoer was initially afraid that this would turn into "Garden State II." It was a real concern. The amazing-but-that-would-never-happen-in-real-life moments were piling up. (Including an almost gag-worthy waltz through Ikea. Don't real hipsters hate the mod furniture mecca?) Read the rest of the review on the jump.
Aside from all the cinematic indulgences (documentary-style interviews, an impromptu dance number and a side-by-side fantasy versus reality segment) this movie was serious. So serious in fact, that the overly cute stuff was clearly used to balance out the heartbreakingly real ending. (Don't distress: Even during dark moments the movie didn't loose its playful spirit.) Unlike "Garden State," with its stiflingly perfect wrap up, "Summer" offered solace for those with relationship woes. (And who hasn't had to deal with those?) A few plot twists turned a pie-in-the-sky flick into something refreshingly relateable. And, while I have no desire to view it over and over again, I'm glad I spent a sweltering summer afternoon watching this breezy, beautiful movie.
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