Van Morrison once said 'To live is to love is to love is to love is to love is to love'. That's as close to a concrete explanation of love as were likely gonna get anywhere. It's messy, frustrating, amazing and -above all- unexplainable. Director Marc Webb knows that and his new film called (500) Days Of Summer IS in fact messy, frustrating, amazing and unexplainable. Add the words Original, sweet and thoughtful. It stars Joseph Gordon levitt, the awesome Zooey Deschanel and gives us a peak at their 500 days together in a fragmented, twisted narrative. This film is so truthful and ambivalent about love that I was reminded of past relationships and past -shall we say- forgettable circumstances. It's a small movie, very hard to find but look out for it.
Levitt and Deschanel are Incredible-they bring the film to a much higher level than it deserves to be at. Especially given the fact that it does have the misfortune of going all saccharine on us towards its conclusion. As for Levitt, I'm not sure why this guy has not hit it big yet, every film he's in just surprises me and makes me realize he's one of the better actors of our generation. No, I'm not joking and Yes I do realize he's the kid from 3rd Rock From The Sun. Want rental advice? watch him in The Lookout.
It's rare to find a movie this truthful and honest about attraction- not many films in the past few years have actually had anything interesting or new to say about what it is to be with someone. I can think of Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, in which Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet erase each other from their memory -literally- only to get back together not knowing it had already happened. Fate? not sure. That's another thing about (500) Days Of Summer that interests me- the notion that love is possibly not only about fate but the right and wrong decisions you make in between. It's sweet but real and I believe the people that see it will likely enjoy diving into its pool of pain, sorrow and happiness + any film that has references to The Smiths and Springsteen is perfectly fine in my book